The Nomadic Fighters
by AlinoValiant
Summary: Accompanied by a strong and protective vixen, and also close friends with Hooktail and Gloomtail, things appeared to be going well for Agon Archibald Peters. A single death of someone he loved dearly was all it took for the 5'3 human to snap psychologically, causing him to stroll down the path to revenge.
1. Solo Mission

**Solo Mission**

Just outside of Hooktail Castle, Agon was walking around and enjoying the cool breeze. It was the crack of dawn; he had gotten up first and quietly snuck away from Hooktail and Renamon without waking them up. The sky was partly cloudy, but otherwise sunny as he paced through the nearby woods. He pondered on what to do for the day: perhaps going to Shhwonk Fortress to find some new armaments (he had no coins to buy anything), which the short human needed badly. He played Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in the past, so he had an idea of where he was going. All he had was a black shirt, dark navy pants and a pair of dark gray boots. Agon desired for a set of armor and a new gun, since his close combat abilities could only go so far before encountering an opponent packing serious heat.

'_Gotta get some new gear for myself and find some people to fight,_' he thought. '_My streetfighting and kickboxing skills have been rusty since that confrontation against the spear guy back at Rogueport._'

It took Agon some time before he arrived at the small peaceful town of Petalburg. He scanned the modest settlement, noting the pleasant atmosphere among its citizens. Most of them were native Koopa Troopas though on occasion, some Goombas, Bob-ombs or Toads came by to visit. They often went to Petalburg to see friends or to do business as traders and merchants. The twenty-six year old saw one of them greeting him with a wave, to which he responded in kind. It seemed the attitude was also quite cordial among these people. Agon took his time exploring the town as he briefly spoke with some of the locals.

On his way to the exit leading to Shhwonk Fortress, a green-shelled Koopa with a baby blue hoodie, jeans, white shoes and a bandage on his snout walked toward the man, eager to converse with him.

"Hey there." he said to Agon.

"Hi." the human said, giving the fully clothed turtle a little wave.

"What brings you here to this part of the land?"

Agon thought to himself; he had forgotten his objective for a moment.

"Uhh... I think it had something to do with Shhwonk Fortress. You know about that place?"

"Yeah, I've been there before. Why?" the Koopa Troopa asked.

"Well, I need some new gear," said Agon. "I figured a place like that must have something good there."

The reptilian gave him a look of concern as he shook his head.

"Oh no, you don't want to go there now. The area's been taken over by a small band of raiders."

"Who are they?" asked Agon, putting a hand on his right hip.

"I don't know, but those guys looked pretty mean. I'd be careful if you're serious on actually going there, especially on your own."

Apparently, Shhwonk Fortress had a bandit infestation. This meant the young man wasn't going to turn down an opportunity for some action. He nodded to the Koopa, wearing a confident expression on his face.

"I'll take em' on." Agon said simply as he began moving toward the exit leading to the fort.

"Well, okay..." the fully clothed Koopa said in an uncertain tone. "But please watch yourself. Those guys are nasty."

"I got it." the battle ready man answered. He stopped for a brief moment and turned around, curious about something. "What's your name?"

"You can just call me Koops. What about you?"

"Agon."

"I wish you good luck, Agon. Travel safely."

_'No wonder he looked familiar; he's the same Koops from the video game. Better not mention anything about Hooktail just to play it safe.'_ Agon said mentally, realizing that she and Koops were likely still at odds despite the aftermath. His father, Koopley, **was** once eaten by the female red dragon after all.

The five foot three human said his farewells, moving out to Shhwonk Fortress. He encountered no resistance along the way and within minutes, he was at a large stone structure that used to contain the Clefts. The slate gray fortification stood out from the rest of the colorful outside with its green scenery, wooden fences and foliage. Interestingly enough, there was no actual gate or any kind of door barring the entrance. He assumed that the interior within contained a door, which he hoped was unlocked.

However, just outside of the fortified structure were two goons dressed in what looked like leather armor. One of them was a Shy Guy while the other was a rather unfriendly looking Koopa. The masked fellow was slightly taller than Agon and wielded a crowbar; the turtle's shell was purple and wore a helmet, armed with brass knuckles. Both of them glared at the light brown-skinned human with blazing flames in their eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are, just trespassin' on **our** turf?" the purple shelled Koopa said, spitting on the ground.

"Yeah, you ain't welcome 'round here," his accomplice blurted out. "If you looking for trouble, then you've come to the right place."

Agon stared back, flashing a small assertive grin. There was no use trying to sugarcoat his way in.

"Very good then. Let's fight." the short man acknowledged, putting himself in a combat stance.

The two thugs brandished their weapons in response, edging closer to Agon. Without hesitation, all three of them charged into battle at the same time.

* * *

The dragoness Hooktail woke up to be greeted by the morning sunlight. She laid there for several long moments before fully opening her eyes and stretching her enormous body. Looking around, she wore an expression of wonder and slight anxiety. Agon was nowhere to be found: the female red dragon was currently unaware that he was on his way to the bandit-ridden Shhwonk Fortress. Her brother Gloomtail was flying in the skies, circling around the castle while the cadmium yellow vixen was just getting up from a secluded spot, which was a few feet away from Hooktail.

'_Where did he go?_' the dragoness said mentally, now walking around. '_He left before any of us woke up..._'

"Is something on your mind?"

Hooktail turned around to see the hooded Renamon strolling toward her; how did she move so quietly with those paws?

"Ah, you're a friend of the human. Yes, I'm wondering where Agon has gone off to." said Hooktail.

"Gone off to...?" the golden fox questioned.

"Yeah, I think he got up before us and left. Where, I don't know."

The red dragon's face was filled with curiosity and worry. Although they had only befriended each other within a few days, she felt close to the little human. It was a new feeling that Hooktail had never experienced before, not since her time during the events of The Thousand-Year Door. The fact that someone wanted to be her friend had both confused and pleased her: out of all beings, it was he who chose this option.

'_Agon, don't get yourself killed, wherever you are..._' Hooktail thought.

'_He'll be all right, I'm sure of it._' said Renamon, able to communicate telepathically.

'_Huh? You heard that? How?_'

'_I have the ability to read and speak with the minds of beings. Basically, I'm a psychic._'

This new discovery surprised the massive red dragoness. Her eyes widened considerably, having never experienced this sensation before; it was like having a speaker installed inside your head.

'_Agon seems to take a liking to you, though he's also scared of you._' Hooktail said offhandedly, testing the kitsune's mental phenomenon.

'_I know,_' responded Renamon, her voice echoing inside the dragon's head. '_He has no reason to fear me, because I would never harm him in anyway. Just like you, I'm also his friend._'

'_Your fearful appearance says otherwise, especially with those frigid eyes of yours. You're definitely friendly and affectionate, but those eyes..._'

Renamon smiled warmly at Hooktail, now closing in to stroke the female dragon's snout.

'_I'm a kind being at heart. He doesn't need to be scared of me. I may seem standoffish and distant at first, but looks can be deceiving after all. If Agon wants to talk to me, I'll happily speak with him: he seems to be a really peaceful person._'

The red dragoness merely nodded, feeling relaxed by the yellow vixen's gentle touch. Her paws were very soft as they continued to make contact with her nose. Renamon saw Hooktail's easy expression and, with enthusiasm, took it a step further by embracing her, who also hugged back. They stayed like that for minutes before breaking up the hug, concluding the exchange with heartfelt glances.

"Looks like Agon isn't the only one who likes hugging me." said Hooktail out loud, hiding a light blush camouflaged by her crimson scales.

"He was right: you **are** very pleasant for a giant fire-breathing dragon. We'll get along in the future, I can tell." replied Renamon, still smiling tenderly.

"Thank you! I'm glad someone else is willing to give me a chance. Come, I'll introduce you to Gloomtail."

The massive female red dragon motioned for the golden vixen to climb her back. When they were ready, Hooktail flew upwards to her brother. They were so exhilarated to socialize with each other that the human's whereabouts were temporarily forgotten in their minds.

* * *

Agon was facing a structure almost identical to the gatehouse he fought through earlier. Judging by the non-existent wounds on his person, he had dispatched the two bandits without an issue. This building had no thugs as far as the human could tell, at least on the outside.

"They're probably inside..." he muttered in a low voice, advancing toward the stony fortification.

Before he went inside, he noticed something odd about the left wall: it had a different texture, which was a series of vertical lines instead of gray bricks. Agon wondered if there was something inside there, so he walked to it and pressed a hand on this spot. This particular part of the wall scrolled downwards to reveal a blue armor vest and helmet, along with a sawed off shotgun. It was too convenient...

"About time. Protection, plus a shotgun to kill things a lot more effectively. I have to admit, this was rather lucky..." Agon said in a cautious voice, picking up and equipping the items before heading inside the gatehouse.

He encountered three raiders armed with pistols. All of them were Koopas with yellow shells sporting dark shades, looking to blast anyone upon entry. Behind them was a green warp pipe and a large stone thwomp on a pedestal. Everyone stood their ground, waiting for the first move.

The standoff didn't last more than three seconds as the pistol-packing turtles fired away. Agon retaliated, easily wiping them out at close range with the newly obtained shotgun. When the gunfight ended, the interior was caked with blood and bullet holes, with the Koopas being dead corpses on the floor. The armed human examined himself quickly, finding no serious injuries. The armor, as well as the helmet, barely took damage.

He descended through the pipe and found himself in an underground corridor that had a foot of cold water. It was fairly dark as there seemed to be a faded blue illumination blanketing the halls. The aura emanated from here felt a bit ghostly, as well as chilly. He wondered where all this water could have come from, and in a large volume. Surprisingly, this particular area appeared to be void of bandits.

_'Kind of cool inside this place, but I better not let my guard down.'_ Agon thought as he walked down the southern path, his boots and socks already soaked.

The twenty-six year old fought through a few raiders (either Koopas, Shy Guys or Toads from here on) that attempted to ambush him, making use of the lack of lighting and the stone pillars, but failing to do so. He pushed on, eventually finding himself in a larger room with a single platform in the middle. From a first glance, there appeared to be nothing here. Agon assumed that something had to be hidden here; he knew from playing certain video games that there were such things as secrets.

The inquisitive man wandered the room, pressing every part of the walls and searching for things that stuck out from the rest. He then investigated the platform, again, yielding no results until he touched the center. That part of the surface opened up like a door, revealing some boxes of shotgun ammunition underneath.

_'I could always use additional ammo.'_

Agon picked it all up before leaving the room. He returned to the starting point and advanced through the northern corridor, wary of other ambushes. As expected, more armed thugs tried to jump him, but he was able to take care of them once more. He was now inside a mirrored room of the one from the southern hall, proceeding to search the area in the same matter. The difference this time was that the wall at the end slid upwards to unveil a silver chest, though it proved difficult to distinguish its color due to the semi-darkness.

The dark-brown eyed man opened the container to find a rocket launcher with a dozen rockets to go with it. He felt much braver now, carrying a weapon like this. It needed to be used wisely for now, because of the scarce ammo.

_'Hell yeah, this is what I'm talking about.'_ Agon said in his head, excitement creeping up on him.

He left the room and nearly emerged from the blue hallway when he froze in his tracks. In front of him was a single Koopa Troopa: this one was much larger in size and had glowing orange eyes. He was wielding a heavy Gatling gun with an ammo pack (inside his shell) that was belt-fed to the weapon. The hefty reptilian had a blood red shell and wore a full helmet, protecting him from headshots. This intimidating opponent was a big step up from the lesser bandits Agon had managed to dispatch easily.

"Are you ready for your death, little man?" the heavy weapons Koopa said in a gruff voice, winding up his gun.

"I can take you on." Agon responded aggressively, opting for his rocket launcher.

Immediately after he said that, they began opening fire on each other, disregarding all dangers of their own lives. Fighting inside the narrow hallway was difficult, which meant careful use of the rocket launcher was imperative. The human used the pillars for cover whenever the Gatling gunner unleashed a barrage of metal. Every time he paused for a few seconds, Agon seized each opportunity to accurately shoot a rocket at the burly Koopa. The explosive projectiles seemed to take no effect at first, attributing to the Gatling turtle's toughness.

After a protracted skirmish and missing a couple of times, Agon finished off the gunner with a final shot, exploding his corpse into an exaggerated bloody mess, gibs included. The entire corridor had ended up badly demolished from the onslaught of the Gatling gun and the rockets.

He proceeded to the central area and took a breather: the young man had received some damage from the Gatling Koopa as his armor and helmet was battered up. His left leg caught a few bullets in the crossfire, which would cripple his movement considerably, while his right hand bled from a single projectile that punched through his palm. Compared to having actually died back at the Palace of Shadow, he considered these wounds to be nothing.

_'Nothing abnormal about this... Still, I'm only human.'_ the injured man murmured in his head, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

He stood up after a handful of minutes, wincing from putting weight on his left leg, and entered the warp pipe back to the surface of the fort.

**(Well, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. Some of you may enjoy this, some of you won't. It's all good either way. I'm not sure how many chapters this will contain, so I'll probably just keep going until I feel I can end it. Have a good day.)**


	2. Heavy Heart

**Heavy Heart**

The twenty-six year old man pressed through the path toward Petalburg, shotgun at the ready. There were more bandits, whether Koopas, Shy Guys or sometimes Toads, hiding behind trees and bushes; most of them were armed with sidearms and the occasionally shotgun. He was able to take care of these skirmishers, though he was unlucky in catching a few bullets to his right arm. This setback would make it more difficult to hold and fire his weapon.

He continued down the route, fighting his way through a few more raiders inside the gatehouse that used to contain the Clefts once more. These particular ones utilized melee weapons like knives, crowbars and cleavers. Combined with their fast movements, they managed to get some strikes on the shotgun-wielding human before he wiped them out. Agon examined the weapons and searched their corpses for a short moment before moving on. Loot-wise, there was nothing of interest he could have taken as part of his arsenal.

At this point, he was bruised up: he also had nasty gashes on his arms and was bleeding badly as the dark-red liquid oozed from his eyes, nose and mouth. The right side of the young man's bald head was partially open, revealing the bloody lesion within. His left leg was still crippled while Agon's right hand had been soaked in an overwhelming amount of blood, which had long since dried up. In addition to these wounds, the armor vest and helmet was terribly beaten-up, so it would only provide minimal protection at best.

'_Well, I sure seem to like getting hurt this much..._' Agon murmured in his mind, grimacing in large pain. '_If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was feeling a bit masochistic._'

He noticed that whenever he was wounded this much, it appeared to make him more excited in combat. Sometimes, the young man couldn't stop himself from feeling frenzied: the sight of his own blood only drove him to continue fighting, regardless of his condition. This always coincided with an adrenaline rush, which probably caused him to ignore pain temporarily. It worried him, but at the same time, this sense of being hardcore actually aided him in combat...

As Agon ran down the last section of the trail, he wondered himself how he had made it this far all alone. Having a sawed off and a rocket launcher must have definitely helped big time, especially against the Gatling gunner back at Shhwonk Fortress. The armor also saved his ass during the majority of the gunfights.

'_Too bad I'm out of rockets now. I just hope I don't encounter any more of these guys..._'

By some stroke of 'luck', there were two Gatling Gunners guarding the way into Petalburg. Both were large Koopas with burning orange eyes, red shells, full helmets and of course, the Gatling gun. Where did they come from all of a sudden?

"Oh, hell no!" yelled Agon in complete disbelief. "Not when I'm so close to home base!"

"You ain't getting by us, merc," one of them said in an ugly voice, those sunset irises staring right into the human's soul. "Do us all a favor and just die. It'll make it **way** easier for you and us."

Agon laughed in a maniacal way as he held up his shotgun defiantly. He would rather have these beef heads work for it than give up that easily. When he flashed a grin on his bloodied face, the bald-headed man looked rather psychotic.

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to put some effort into it. I'm a **very** crazy person to be dealing with." he stated, gesturing toward the Gatling duo with his left middle finger.

The two heavyset Koopa Troopas readied their weapons: Agon could hear the barrels whirring and rotating, waiting to unleash a bullet storm. He aimed his sawed off shotgun at them, prepared for the incoming battle. So close to the town of Petalburg...

* * *

'_Those dragons are very pleasant to talk to,_' Renamon said mentally. '_It's great that we've had some time to get to know each other._'

She was roving the Petalburg Meadows after a social session with both Hooktail and Gloomtail. Based on what they had said, she learned they were once video game bosses because of the Shadow Queen. This dark entity apparently created the three 'Tail' dragons and tasked them with safeguarding certain locations: Hooktail in the castle to prevent Mario from getting the Diamond Star, Gloomtail at his sanctum in the Palace of Shadow, which had the Star Key to the Riddle Tower and Bonetail within the Pit of 100 Trials, guarding an extraordinary badge.

While the remaining brother and sister had survived, their oldest sibling was technically long dead even before Mario ventured into the Pit. The reason behind this was because their mistress had simply forgotten about Bonetail. He died of old age and starvation after centuries of total isolation from everything in the deepest reaches of the Pit. Nevertheless, the two of them were happy to see each other once more, thanks to the little human.

'_He reunited them as brother and sister, disregarding his life entirely... Agon must like them enough to actually have died in that underground palace. Well, he's earned my respect, that's for sure._' the lean vixen mused, remembering the state he was in when she arrive at Gloomtail's room.

It was an important point worth thinking over: would Mario or his allies have considered giving the former dragons a second chance for redemption? It seemed feasible that the Shadow Queen's influence played a hand in corrupting the three Tail dragons. If she had been alive when Agon tried to befriend either of them, well, he probably would have gotten the opposite of what has happened recently.

Renamon would not get to mull over this for long as her expression changed. Instead of being calm and composed, she was now concerned about something. Through her sharp instincts and telepathic abilities, she realized that the human she had resurrected earlier was struggling against someone or something. If he died a second time... No, she would not allow that possibility to stop her from going to his aid.

'_Just stay alive, I'm coming to assist you._'

Renamon closed her eyes and concentrated for a few seconds, before being engulfed in a blinding white light. When the illumination disappeared, the golden fox was no longer there.

* * *

Back at the Shhwonk Trail, the fight between the Gatling gunners and Agon continued. He had been successful in eliminating one of them, but it had taken all of his shotgun ammo as a result. In addition to the fact that he had no rockets, he found himself in a serious predicament. The remaining Koopa saw this and began to march forward, relentlessly firing his weapon and covering the entire area in a hail of bullets. The twenty-six year old threw himself behind a tree for cover, knowing that staying in one spot for too long would be suicide.

The two of them were so focused upon each other that they failed to register a white aura, several feet away from the thick of combat. This light eventually materialized, unveiling the hooded vixen holding the spectral blade in her right paw. In a startling burst of speed, she rushed forward at the Gatling Koopa and, with one clean motion, sliced his head off. A fountain of blood gushed from the opening for a couple of seconds before the large body dropped forward, along with the gun in his hands. The Koopa's helmeted head rolled away toward a clump of bushes as the shooting became silent.

'_You can come out now. I took care of the problem._' Renamon said to Agon telepathically, fastening the blade onto her waistband.

He appeared from one of the large trees; by his flabbergasted expression, he had not expected her to assist him, let alone arrive at the scene.

"You? Where did you come from?" asked Agon with genuine wonder, slowly clambering toward her.

"I sensed you were in danger. From the looks of it, whatever you were here for caused you these injuries." she answered, scrutinizing his blood soaked appearance.

"You sensed me?"

The bloodied man raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"Ah, you're unaware that I have telepathic abilities. This, combined with my instincts, enabled me to pinpoint your exact location," explained Renamon, continuing to scan his wounds. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me. I've had worse." Agon hesitated for one second before asking, "Why did you help me?"

"Why? You already died the first time! Did you think I was going to leave you alone and let you perish?"

The tall yellow fox sounded angry out of sheer distress for the young man's well-being. She glared at Agon through the purple hood and scarf, who became slightly intimidated by her frosty cobalt eyes.

"Hey, take it easy! I can fight too, you know," he said defensively, spitting out a wad of sticky blood. "I just wanted to get some new gear for myself. It's a damn shame this vest and helm is pretty much damaged beyond repair..."

"Still, you shouldn't have gone on your own. Who knows what would have happened?" Renamon pressed on, clearly worried by his condition.

"I'm fine. You didn't have to -"

"No, you're not fine," the golden vixen disagreed, interrupting him. "You need medical attention, and soon, before those injuries get worse."

"But -"

"Enough. You're in no condition to argue with me right now."

There was an unsettling silence between the two of them. Renamon crossed her arms and continued staring through his eyes while Agon simply wore a defeated expression. He felt like he was being scolded by his mother for leaving the house without permission. Finally, he gazed back, reluctantly nodding to her.

"Okay, okay, you've made your point. Let's go to the town just ahead, there's probably someone there who could help me with these wounds." said Agon, pointing to the trail leading to Petalburg.

"Good."

And so, the duo walked to the town of Petalburg. The gatekeeper greeted them, seemingly unfazed by Renamon's appearance. He glanced at Agon with an uneasy facial expression.

"What happened to you?" the green-shelled Koopa questioned.

"Eh, those bandits at Shhwonk Fortress gave me some trouble. I still cleared them all out." replied Agon, grimacing from his physical trauma.

"Wait, **you** actually did that? Wow! Thanks, man! Here's your bounty: a hundred gold coins."

The watchful reptilian gave the dark-brown eyed man a small strongbox.

"There was a reward for this?" asked Agon abruptly, evidently oblivious to the fact that Petalburg posted a mission for clearing out Shhwonk Fortress.

"Yeah, and since you took out those raiders, the town will be a lot safer now. You're a good man." said the gatekeeper with a small smile of recognition.

Agon turned to Renamon, who was listening to every single word.

"At least something good came out of all this."

She placed a paw on his shoulder, nodding in approval.

With the reward money from that bounty, Agon was able to purchase some health supplies as well as ammunition for his shotgun and rocket launcher. He even had enough coins leftover to replace his armor as he discussed business with a Goomba arms dealer, who had traveled from Keelhaul Key to sell his wares. Agon took his time in deciding whether to get a new helmet or body armor, as he only had enough coins for one of them. In the end, the heavily bandaged human settled for a black armor vest; it covered his shoulders and arms this time.

* * *

After he secured everything, Renamon had taken his hand and teleported from Petalburg to the outside plains of Hooktail Castle. The two massive dragons were nowhere to be seen as Hooktail and Gloomtail were most likely flying together in the skies at this time.

"Quite convenient that the store in that town had these things," he commented, making conversation with Renamon. "Now I don't feel so defenseless."

"Indeed, especially with those gold coins." she answered as they walked next to each other.

He thought to himself for some time before blurting out an apology.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I left without telling you. I didn't want to needlessly drag you along with me on this dangerous adventure."

When the cadmium yellow kitsune turned to face him, her expression became soft in comparison from earlier. The frigid blue eyes bore upon him warmly as she let out a small smile.

"I'm just glad you're still alive and well. You've already proven to be a tough person, able to fight all on your own. I still feel that you should have at least notified Hooktail and I before leaving."

"I know, I know. I tend to get crazy when there's action and out of pure impulse, I just go with the flow. Not the most logical method, but I've gotten used to it."

"You can definitely endure pain, I'll give you that, but it doesn't stop me from fretting over your well-being..." said Renamon in a concerned tone.

Agon slowly nodded: his constant desire to jump into the fray **could** eventually cost him dearly, perhaps permanently. It had already happened once.

"It is dangerous, but I'm capable of fending for myself when necessary. I think you worry too much." he said.

"But look at you now, you're bandaged all over and still bleeding in a few places and you pass it off as nothing? That isn't a healthy attitude."

"So I'm a bit masochistic, what's the big deal?" Agon stated nonchalantly.

She made a sudden movement: her head was pressed against his own as she gazed at him sadly.

"I don't want you to die again. For me and for your dragon friend, please."

Her voice was melancholy as she embraced Agon. He said nothing, but merely hugged back, feeling guilty about putting her into an overly anxious state. They remained in this position, neither one wanting to let go. If the young man's face wasn't pressed against the white fleece on her chest, he could be seen donning a sincere expression.

'_I'm sorry, I really am. After all, you had to resurrect me once..._' were the only words he could think of. Agon didn't expect an emotional situation like this, nor did he realize Renamon's heavy concern for him. He felt terrible as he tried to put everything into the hug.

'_It's okay._' she responded in his head, her soothing voice reverberating within.

They held each other tightly for as long as fifteen minutes before finally letting go. Renamon's eyes stared into his, though Agon found it difficult to make visual contact this time. He walked a fair distance away from the tall vixen, his back facing her.

'_I don't blame her for leaving me now, after the way I've acted today. I guess I've been alone for so long that I've forgotten I had made new friends. Shit, I haven't felt like this for years... and in a span of a few days. I screwed up big time._' thought Agon with regret.

'_You're MY friend and I wouldn't forgive myself if I left you now. I will stay with you indefinitely._' she said, entering his mind once more.

'_You're telepathic?_' he asked mentally, having ignored a key part of her conversation earlier.

'_Yes, and I wouldn't worry about me leaving you in the dark. I __**want**__ to be your companion, your protector, your guardian angel._'

The twenty-six year old felt an immense rush of affection for Renamon.

'_Why? We barely know each other..._'

'_But I know you're an incredibly gentle being inside. You don't have to go it all alone anymore, because I'm here for you._' said Renamon seriously as she smiled lovingly.

He was touched by her concise, yet brimming conviction to stay with him. After chancing a quick glance at her, Agon sat down, looking up at the evening sky, filled with shades of oranges and reds. The fading sun cascaded in the horizon as a cold wind gusted through; the small man shivered, even with his armor on. The golden fox walked to Agon and wrapped her arms and large tail around him, shielding his entire figure from the sudden frosty air. He made feeble, almost fake-like attempts to wriggle free of her grasp, but it only caused her to tighten her hold. The young man gave this up and leaned against her, relishing in her warmth and comfort.

'_Thanks Renamon... We may have only just met, but you are a great friend, just like Hooktail..._' he thought to her, now roused up from his sorrow. '_Please, never leave me..._'

'_I promise I'll stay with the both of you until the very end, Agon._' she responded solemnly. '_We're all friends now, aren't we?_'

The two of them laid down on the thin grass and held each other for comfort, deciding that they would get some rest. He needed it badly in order to allow his wounds to properly recover, plus he assumed the dragons wouldn't be back for a long while. Agon had fallen asleep first, cradled by his newly close friend. Her blue eyes rested on him with a wholehearted look as she nuzzled him for a few moments. Eventually, Renamon had become tired and allowed herself to succumb to a peaceful slumber alongside the human.

**(Well, I'm getting somewhere here. Boy, I really like to use Renamon in my stories. Same thing with Hooktail as well. Stay frosty.)**


	3. Appreciation and Affection

**Appreciation and Affection**

Agon Archibald Peters opened his eyes to see himself snuggled with the cadmium yellow fox, her hood, scarf and blade removed and placed on the side. Many hours passed by since the two of them had fallen asleep, evident by the fading nightfall that was bordering toward dawn. He gently wriggled himself out of her loose hold and stood up: a lot had happened yesterday, which ranged from a one-man assault on a bandit stronghold to an emotional moment with Renamon. He wondered if everything the golden vixen said was true, that she, along with Hooktail, was intent on being his friend and companion. It had all happened so quickly, Agon was struggling to think properly. It also didn't help that the man had no knowledge of her origins whatsoever.

As he began walking around the plains outside of Hooktail Castle, the preoccupied human searched for a certain sixty foot dragoness. She was present, laying down a fair distance away from both he and Renamon; Agon told himself that Hooktail shouldn't be disturbed right now while in her slumber. He also saw her equally large brother Gloomtail sleeping next to her, just like regular siblings.

'_It's good to see that those two are together..._' he thought, smiling at the sight.

Moving on, the bandaged man strolled about aimlessly, thinking to himself. Before he came here in this fictional world, Agon was living a boring, yet peaceful life back on Earth. Born on January 2nd in 2103, he came from a family of middle class, neither poor nor elite in society. They lived in the peacekeeping country of Canada, within the province of Prince Edward Island. His mother, father and older brother; they had all gotten along generally well, though from time to time, he and his brother Otto would have these sibling fights. In terms of relations, the both of them were close otherwise.

Agon remembered that Otto was the one responsible for training him: when he had turned ten, the younger brother was tutored by the older sibling in the arts of streetfighting, kickboxing and firearms. This continued throughout his teens and his early adulthood, until finally having mastered the techniques at age twenty-four. Though his brother had no more to teach him, he often used his desire for action as an excuse to constantly hone his skills.

'_Thank you Otto, for teaching me how to fight,_' mused Agon. '_I would have gotten my ass kicked a lot harder if it wasn't for you..._'

That said, it helped that the brothers' father was in the military (knowledge of weapons) while Otto himself grew up to be a brawler in the octagon. Their mother opted to be an engineer, insisting that building contraptions, devices, automated doors, defensive turrets and all sorts of high-tech stuff was her thing.

When Agon was twenty, he used to work as a ruthless lone mercenary, a gun for hire who would put aside all thoughts of morality and righteousness as long as the pay was high. Overtime, he began to concern himself with helping out the less fortunate, even going as far as giving them some of his own pay. Along with his changing behavior, he had eventually gained a good reputation for being a softhearted and sympathetic individual. His escapades as a freelancer occasionally made him a target for lesser professionals that were put aside for him. Agon welcomed this as a challenge, which would consequently lead to the young man killing the bounty hunters that resented him. He then quit the bounty hunting profession after his twenty-fifth birthday, having made enough income for himself and his family.

One afternoon in the following year, a family meeting organized by his mother had taken place in their spacious living room. She announced that her latest invention was likely her magnum opus, groundbreaking and perhaps even something she thought to be impossible. When Agon asked what this 'holy grail' of technology was, she had unveiled a device that would allow teleportation to wherever the user desired to go to. This was a small dimensional gateway, situated within the middle of the living room. The entire family held a mixture of total astonishment and disbelief: a machine that was basically a portal to other worlds had been very difficult to believe, maybe even inconceivable.

'_My mother, the architect and the first in our family to build a functional teleporter..._' said Agon mentally, undergoing a brief flashback to that awesome moment. '_I thought at first, it was all a joke, but when I volunteered to step forward..._'

Indeed, his incredulity drove him to try out her invention. He even remembered certain pieces of the conversation that took place. It had gone out like this:

* * *

'_So you're saying this teleportation machine could theoretically take me to where I want to go? Are you sure this isn't a trick or some kind of prank?_' he said dubiously.

'_That's right, __**anywhere**__ you wish,' _his mother had answered proudly. In a whispering undertone, she then said, _'I know about your desire to befriend the dragoness Hooktail. I think if you gave it a chance, perhaps your wish will come true..._'

'_Yeah... You mean Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, right?_'

'_What else? I played video games too, you know. Maybe my invention will take you to her castle and allow you to have a cup of tea with her. What do you say, son? Will you be the first in the family to try out your mother's new dimensional gateway?_'

'_The possibility of entering the fantasy world __**is**__ extremely tempting, but it could also be dangerous..._' Agon had said with bits of anxiety. '_Will this machine of yours kill me?_'

'_There's only one way to find out. I've set the coordinates to the Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door world. Hopefully, you'll be taken there._'

At this point, the bald-headed man made his way toward the gateway, nearly one fatal step away when his mother stopped him, her smooth face and cybernetic eyes becoming grave.

'_I must warn you, once you enter the dimensional gate, you won't be able to return here. I think if you're really intent on doing this, you'd better say your last farewells._'

* * *

That was the last time Agon ever spoke to and saw his family. He recalled hesitating for a very long time because when one had a family, it would have been difficult to leave them behind forever. She had explained that the reason he wouldn't be able to come back home was that wherever the location was, there wasn't an exit point. Without both connections, her dimensional gateway would only serve as a one way entrance.

"Thank God it worked at least. Though I'll miss my loving family, I can adjust to a new life here in the fictional world. If only I could tell my mother that her invention was an ultimate success..." muttered Agon, a sad smile forming on his lips.

He was an adult now, not a child. Agon would sooner or later learn to adapt to this world he thought to be nothing more than a mere fantasy, a reality that would never come to fruition. He shook himself from his thought process and glanced upwards at the sky. Dawn had followed the remnants of nightfall with indecency, its warm hues of orange and yellow covering the atmosphere while a few wispy clouds hovered by; the sunrise was sneaking its way to the horizon.

As the twenty-six year old man began walking back to where he slept, a pair of purple-sleeved arms gently wrapped around his neck. Without even turning around, he knew who it was. How did she keep sneaking around without being heard?

"Good morning to you, Renamon." greeted Agon, placing his hands on top of hers.

"Morning to you, Agon. And just where were you going off to?" the yellow vixen said, a tone of suspicion etched in her voice.

"Nowhere."

She turned him around and glared upon him with her icy blue eyes, scrutinizing the man closely. To Agon, it felt like a lie detector was scanning him.

"I hope you're not trying to go off on your own again. After what happened yesterday, you need to take it easy, at least for today."

There was no mistaking the concern in her voice.

"No, don't worry about that. With these injuries, I plan to relax for the day." he assured, nodding in agreement.

"Good, I'm glad you're making the right choice," said Renamon with large relief. "You're very tough, but still a human with flesh and blood. I'm just trying to keep you safe, especially since you already died once."

Agon winced slightly, remembering his deceased state back in Gloomtail's room. He did not need to be reminded more than a few times about that. His recklessness had costed him dearly, but he took it upon himself to reunite Hooktail with her remaining brother. To him, it had been worth dying for to make the female dragon happy. Of course he never forgot the fact that Renamon had literally saved his life through resurrection.

"I know... I'm still grateful that you saved me from death. Thank you once again."

"You're welcome. Ever since I saw you at Rogueport, I had a good feeling about you. I'm glad to be with you as your friend."

"Thanks. I like you too." said Agon kindly.

He started to embrace her out of impulse, but quickly pulled back in fear that the movement was uncalled for. To his surprise, Renamon stepped forward and hugged him.

"If you want to hug me, go ahead. I won't bite." she stated with a welcoming tone, smiling warmly.

'_Apologies, it's just that I'm still a bit scared of you..._' Agon thought sheepishly, realizing that she could communicate inside his mind.

'_Why is that?_'

'_Well, I think it's your overall appearance. Honestly, you're attractive, but also intimidating at the same time. I feel like such a coward just saying that, because I was able to confront and befriend two sixty-foot dragons, but I can't even look into your eyes without that fear inside of me. It doesn't help that you're definitely taller than six feet while I'm only 5 foot 3 inches or so. I really like you though, don't get it twisted._'

She noticed his voice held tones of trepidation. Blushing slightly from the word 'attractive', the golden fox gave him a comforting expression as she strengthened her hold on him. She closed her fluffy tail around Agon, protecting him from harm.

'_It's okay, you're not a coward for speaking your mind. You don't have to be frightened of me. Some Renamons __**are**__ cold and distant, but I'm not one of those, so don't worry,_' she said soothingly. '_You can be as open as you want with me._'

'_Are you sure? I don't want to seem like a burden to you..._' said Agon apprehensively, feeling somewhat at fault.

He buried his face into the snow-white fleece on her chest, feeling a bit self-conscious. If he looked into Renamon's face, she could be seen wearing a tenderly expression.

'_I don't think you're a burden. After all, I chose to be with you. If you can trust Hooktail, you can trust me as well. We're friends._'

'...'

'_You're a very caring person, I can tell. Despite your recklessness in combat, you really appreciate those close to you. That, I feel, makes you a good person in my perspective._' she went on, cradling Agon next to her heart while running a paw on his hairless head.

'...'

'_You and I will become best friends, I know that for sure. When I saved you, I was genuinely afraid that you weren't going to come back alive. I couldn't bring myself to leave you there all alone in an agonizing death._'

The small human kept silent, listening well as Renamon selected her next set of words with intense benignity.

"I love you. I promise I won't leave you, Agon."

'_What? Why would she say that to me? She barely knows me..._' he thought, brutally shocked at her words.

'_Because I care for you. You're my friend and I love you._' responded Renamon in his mind.

She lifted and carried the young man into her arms. They gazed at each other heartily, needing no other words to express their feelings toward each other. He was overwhelmed in such an emotional state that a single tear leaked out from his right eye. The two of them stayed in the heartwarming embrace for the next several minutes before she finally set Agon down on the ground.

"Renamon... I – I don't know what to say..." he said weakly as he didn't bother to hide his reddening facial complexion.

"No need to say anything. Affectionate action speaks louder than verbal communication."

"Thanks. If it's okay with you, I'd like to talk to Hooktail now."

She nodded, beginning to walk away into the woods of Petalburg. However, Agon wanted to say one more thing before letting her go.

"Renamon?"

The golden vixen looked back with wonder, now a few feet away from him.

"I love you too."

She beamed at him, walking back toward the short human and planting a kiss on his forehead before leaving. When she was gone, Agon's heart leaped at least three stories high from being smooched by the devoted kitsune as he stood frozen stiff, his mouth agape. He clearly never expected that judging by his wide-eyed and bewildered expression.

"Best friendship ever." he remarked rapturously before going to chat with his other lady friend, Hooktail.

Agon practically skipped along his way, weaving around the outside of Hooktail Castle and seeing the huge red dragoness awake: Hooktail was currently engaged in conversation with Gloomtail. He greeted the both of them with a big grin on his face, eager to talk. They noticed how much of a brighter mood the man was in, leading them to wonder what had happened.

"Well, hello there my friend," said Hooktail. "What's with you this morning?"

"Yes, do tell us." added in Gloomtail.

The dark brown eyed human told them about the emotional moment between he and Renamon. After he had recalled the last of it, both dragons were equally pleased and quite taken back.

"Wow, she actually kissed you on the forehead?" inquired Hooktail, in apparent awe.

"That's right. I couldn't believe it myself. Holy shit, you should have seen it all..." replied Agon excitedly as he danced on the spot.

"Nicely done, friend. By the way, who IS she?" asked Gloomtail.

The little man took a few seconds to think about it, pinching his lips together.

"Well, she mentioned before that she was a Digimon, whatever that is."

"And which one is she?"

"A Renamon. From what she said, there are supposed to be other variations of her. I would assume there are also male versions and those with different personalities, hence, this one being extremely affectionate and caring as well as protective."

The black dragon murmured his acknowledgment. His sister then contributed to the conversation by asking the next question.

"What exactly is a Renamon? Do you know?" questioned Hooktail.

"Basically, she is a tall fox with mostly yellow fur and a white underbelly. I believe the name itself is based off of 'Renard', which is another word for fox." answered Agon.

"And what is a Digimon?"

He shrugged his shoulders, giving the two dragons a look of uncertainty.

"From the term itself, I guess it has something to do with data. Don't really know since I haven't heard of or watched the series myself, only through searching the net back on Earth. I think you'll have to ask her yourselves if you want to know more."

"How about her abilities? What is she capable of?" asked Gloomtail.

"Hmm..."

Judging by the unanswered response and bemused expression upon Agon's face, he hadn't thought about it. What **was** Renamon able to do in terms of attack and/or defense? He noted himself to ask her at some point.

"Sorry, I can't answer that because I don't know. The only thing I can say for certain is that she's really fast, proficient with a blade and is able to appear without being heard," he snapped his fingers on cue. "just like that. I can't imagine how she does that so easily. Oh, and also, she's telepathic."

They all nodded as no one else said anything for a few moments. The risen sun shone on them accompanied by a warm breeze that would remain throughout the day. A cluster of grayish-white clouds were passing by, almost like a pack of cars driving on the highway.

"Hey Agon, where were you yesterday?" Hooktail blurted out, startling the bandaged human out of his musings.

"Oh, you know, I was just out taking a long stroll to Shhwonk Fortress. Nothing exciting there, nope." said Agon informally, placing his hands behind him.

The female crimson dragon stared at him with strong suspicion. She wasn't going to buy it, it seemed. Gloomtail quietly left the two of them alone as he sauntered toward a nearby hill.

"What? I'm not allowed to go out or something?"

She tilted her head slightly, still maintaining the same look.

"All right, all right," confessed Agon after several seconds of deepening silence. "I was bored, so I inadvertently took a bounty in Petalburg to clear out a small band of raiders in Shhwonk Fortress. I found some good stuff there, but the guys I had to fight... well the lesser bandits weren't too much for me, but these Koopa dudes with heavy miniguns were the real deal. What gave it all away?"

"It's your bandages. It's hard to miss it when the right side of your head is covered, plus it's also blood soaked. I can also see some of it through your armor." replied Hooktail as she smirked slightly.

"...Yeah... I suppose..."

He cupped his chin, looking at the gigantic dragoness with a straight face. Every now and then, his recuperating wounds acted up and ached moderately.

"So that's where you went off to," exclaimed Hooktail. "Why didn't you tell me first?"

"Well I didn't want to wake you up. From the looks of it, you were sleeping peacefully, so I just left you alone." said Agon modestly.

"That's good of you, but still..."

"It's all copacetic, don't worry about it. I'm a big boy now. Dangerous adventures are kind of my thing, you know. Besides, I got these."

As the young man showed off his inventory, which was his sawed off shotgun, rocket launcher and black armor, Hooktail moved closer to him; her expression was softening a bit as she gently placed a three toed foot around him, as if she was shading him from the blinding sunlight. The emerald eyes peered at Agon in an amiable manner.

"You're armed at least. If you do venture into unknown territory next time and I'm positive you will, let me know, okay?" she said quietly, letting her bit of concern leak out from her voice.

"Sure." said Agon, nodding earnestly at the dragoness.

Hooktail flashed a small smile of endearment. She began nuzzling the little human as he returned the favor by hugging her. He felt really embarrassed, but beyond overjoyed by the amount of affection he received in a short amount of time.

The bald-headed man remembered that he hadn't been embraced many times in the past; even asking his mother for a hug was difficult because she had been constantly working on her inventions, almost twenty-four hours and seven days a week. Talking to his dad or brother about that was out of the question since they believed in the 'tough guy' mentality. Owing to the fact that Agon used to keep to himself and never made any real friends, all this affection was somewhat overwhelming. That said, it didn't stop him from enjoying every single second of it.

"Hey Hooktail?" said Agon while still embracing her large snout.

"Hmm?" she uttered.

"I'm glad to be your friend. I've got you, your brother and Renamon. You have to admit, it's an interesting company of companions."

"Friendship comes from the heart. Regardless of who or what, they are the ones that stay with you until the end. You've found the right individuals for this type of thing."

Agon grunted his approval. He stroked her foot, occasionally causing her to giggle from accidentally tickling them.

"And I'm also happy to be your friend. You're different from that red plumber Mario in that you've chosen to be with me. With the Shadow Queen gone, we can live a new life and it's because of **you**, Agon. Thank you." said Hooktail happily, gazing at her human friend wholeheartedly.

He grinned at her while hugging her feet. After minutes of affectionate exchanges, Hooktail spoke up.

"Tell me about yourself." she said to Agon, anxious to know more about him.

"Sure, but there's a bit of information to discuss about me. Is that all right?" answered the dark-brown eyed man.

"Take your time."

Before he began recalling his past, he asked her if they could fly around the land for a bit. She agreed and motioned him to climb her back. The duo was off, taking their time in flight as they drank the surroundings from around and below them; it was a very pleasant view from the top of an enormous dragoness. They flew about aimlessly, finding Gloomtail along the way. When Agon asked if he wanted to come along, he declined, wanting to go his own path for now. Eventually, he and Hooktail rested on top of a towering mountain.

"If you're ready, I'll talk about myself." reminded Agon.

"I'm listening." the crimson dragoness said, blankly staring downwards at the vast land.

He closed his eyes and collected his thoughts, concentrating on the relevant details of his life. When the twenty-six year old was satisfied with whatever he remembered, he began to speak.

**(So much friendliness in this chapter... Also, I attempt to reveal parts of my character's backstory. Had to redo this entire section when I finished it the first time.)**


	4. The Rematch

**The Rematch**

Renamon meandered the scenic Petal Meadows, feeling particularly serene in this calm atmosphere. She took her time admiring the flowery grass, trees, faraway hills and the partly cloudy sky. The climate here proved to be quite pleasant, an even scale between the seasons of Spring and Fall; this area was just warm enough, but not too cold or humid. Searching around for a restful spot, the slender vixen found a patch of wheat-like grass and laid down there. She placed her arms behind her head, after removing the purple hood and scarf as she gazed at the large masses of white clouds, floating about like smoky puffs of cotton candy.

'_It's very nice in this outside area,_' she thought to herself in a relaxed state. '_A perfectly balanced climate and the scenery is also a beautiful sight to behold._'

The Petal Meadows was an ideal place for outside activities, such as a family picnic or hiking. However, one needed to be careful around here: Goombas of different variations and Koopa Troopas were known to roam this otherwise peaceful area. Many of them held aggressive attitudes and would not hesitate to jump on unsuspecting travelers. Indeed, Renamon would find that out the hard way as a group of Goombas scuttled their way toward her. There were four of them, of which the first two had a pair of wings while the other two wore helmets with a single sharp spike that protruded from its tops.

She sensed their presence as a result of her psychic tendencies and natural instincts. The golden fox stood up from her resting spot and faced these opponents, readying herself for combat.

'_This is a fine opportunity to brush up on my fighting abilities. I should still be able to utilize my attacks easily. These peculiar creatures don't pose much of a proper threat, so they'll prove to be great target practice._'

And this was true as Renamon charged up, her paws glowing a blue aura that seemed to be on fire. Without a moment's pause, she began her assault on the Goombas; she kicked and slashed wildly with excellent speed and accuracy. The four mushroom-shaped assailants stood no chance as they fell before the rapid fighter, unable to land any form of offense. Almost instantly, a new wave of reinforcements joined in: now there were seven opponents circling Renamon in an attempt to surround her. Three of them were Koopas with red shells and black shades while the rest were regular brown Goombas. She was unfazed, evident by the challenging expression in her frosty blue eyes.

'_Now let's see if I still remember how to use my other attack._' she mused as she concentrated for a brief moment.

The Koopas and Goombas simply stared, wondering why the yellow kitsune stood there seemingly doing nothing. Then, from out of nowhere, dozens of crystal shards were conjured in midair and sent careening toward the enemies. They scattered, trying to avoid getting hit to no avail; these projectiles pierced and embedded themselves onto the bodies of the fungi-creatures and red shelled reptilians. All was quiet as she examined the many corpses, whether bloodied, clawed, hemorrhaged or pelted by her razor-sharp projectile attack. The few remaining Goombas who had been watching the entire battle retreated out of fear for their lives. She had eliminated her foes without choosing to use the spectral blade fastened to her waistband, so as to practice utilizing her other attacks.

'_Good, it seems I still know how to fight. These creatures were no match for my Power Paw and Diamond Storm abilities._' thought the hooded vixen with a triumphant mentality.

When no more opposition arrived to disrupt her rest and relaxation, Renamon returned to her spot and resumed her state of inactivity. She allowed her mind to wander, remembering what Agon said about knowing very little of him. As the tall fox looked up at the ocean blue sky, she realized that he also barely knew of her origins. If they were friends now, it was only fair that they got together one-on-one and began opening up to each other. She was genuinely curious of his story.

After Renamon rested on the grassy patch for a half hour, she got up and teleported; an intense white light engulfed her for a few seconds before disappearing from the Petal Meadows.

* * *

"...and that's pretty much my life story, summarized to the best of my ability," said Agon as he spoke to Hooktail. "Fairly boring, but peaceful for the most part."

Both he and the female dragon were chatting away, still situated on top of a mountain.

"I'm glad you told me about yourself. If you want me to, I could talk to you about my past." said Hooktail with a small smile.

The twenty-six year old shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, you don't have to tell me. If anything, I wanted to explain myself. Now you know how I got here in the fictional world."

"Yes, this dimensional gateway that your mother designed. It is a great accomplishment that the machine brought you here. Is there any way **back** to your home?"

"Unfortunately not," said Agon. He wore a slightly depressed expression on his character as he continued, "She mentioned that without a second point in time and space, the teleporter would only function as a one-way entrance. I can't return to Earth as a result..."

Hooktail's eyes glanced at him with pity. When she spoke, her tone carried a sense of sincere solicitude.

"I'm sorry to hear that... You must miss your family very much."

"Yeah... the fact that I'll never see them again is truly disheartening and a heavy mental burden to boot. At least I have all of you as company." responded Agon in a serious voice.

The female red dragon understood 'all' to mean she, Gloomtail and Renamon.

"That's right, we're your friends. As long as you have us, you won't be alone in this world. What matters now is that you're living a new life in this fictional land that would never exist in reality. Might as well get used to it, you know?"

"Believe me, I am ecstatic about that," Agon's tone changed as his demeanor started becoming upbeat. "I speak on behalf of the people that wished their personal fantasies were real when I say this: my mother, the engineer, is an ultimate genius. Never have I ever imagined that she was actually able to construct a device that enabled the user to enter the fantasy realm. I was beyond skeptical at first, but here I am now. If that had never occurred, I wouldn't be here with you now."

"That's definitely true. I'm really glad that you were fortunate enough to be brought here. You were, and are still, the first to ask me for friendship." said Hooktail as she felt rallied by his words.

"I'm just happy that you're not alone anymore. You've got your remaining brother with you now, and I'm sure he's equally grateful to be with his sister as well."

The massive dragoness nodded in agreement. She took off for the skies, away from the rocky mountain that overlooked much of the land.

"Hooktail, any chance you could drop me off at Rogueport? I'm just gonna wander around for a bit." asked Agon as he sighted the crime-infested coastal town.

"Okay, but don't get yourself into any trouble, you hear me?" said Hooktail in a chiding tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. I **can** fight after all. I told you that my brother taught me how to throw punches and kicks for fourteen years. If it gets real hot, I've got my guns with me as well."

"I know you're capable of defending yourself, it's just that you're still partially injured from before. Can you at least try to keep out of trouble?"

Agon massaged his bandaged head: the aching was less prominent, though it still bothered him. His face was considerably cleaner with a few dry wounds here and there. The arms that had deep cuts on them were healing, its injuries sealed up, while his crippled leg was in good enough shape that he could at least walk. He quickly inspected his bandaged right hand as he clenched it into a fist, making sure it was fine.

"I can't guarantee it." stated Agon as he double-checked his gear.

Within less than a few minutes, he jumped down onto the docks. Once again, the nearby dockworkers witnessed this amazing display of a human leaping from a sixty-foot dragoness. He waved them off, trying to dismiss their questions as the young man marched toward the plaza. Things were pretty much the same as before when Agon had first come here during his mission to find Gloomtail.

He strolled around, being met with hostile glares and vulgar gestures from nearby folks. Most of them were lowly thugs, so it wasn't surprising to see this kind of reaction. They had kept their distance while calling out to the bald human in an attempt to taunt him, to try to goad him into a fight. He shrugged it all off until a familiar looking being had approached him.

"Remember me?"

Almost right away, Agon was viciously headbutted by the guard who watched over the eastern sector of Rogueport. Nose bleeding profusely, he clutched his head as he got a good look at this character: a light green hat with a horizontal white stripe, a dark olive bandanna, a matching vest, dark gray trousers, those wristbands, but no spear this time. He was also bare-foot. This one had the appearance of a bird emphasized by the gray beak and the feathers on his pinkish skin. He stared at Agon, looking very angry from having lost the first encounter against him.

"You may have beaten me the first time, but that was merely beginner's luck. If you think you're gonna enter the Robbo Gang's turf, you'd best be ready for a war!"

"So, you're Gus. One of Ishnail's goons I see..." said Agon, advancing toward the bird-man. He knew this guy's name and the leader of the gang from playing the game before. This Craw was a tough guy to take on if attempted at the beginning.

"That's right, and don't you dare forget it! When I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to put you out of your misery." shouted Gus, clearly enraged as he charged at the light-brown skinned man.

* * *

The two of them started off by locking hands in a test of strength. While it was evenly matched at first, Gus was a bit stronger and overpowered the small man, forcing him into a kneeling position; this was followed up by bashing Agon's face with a knee. The Robbo gangster grabbed and pulled him up as he backed away, winding up for a crushing blow. With as much force as Gus could gather, he hurled his entire right arm toward the young human like a melee weapon.

However, Agon was prepared this time and dodged the powerful punch; he countered instantly by striking the Craw's head with a series of jabs. He was staggered for a bit before grabbing the human's left wrist and pulling it toward him, knocking Agon down on the ground with the weight of his body. Gus leaped down upon him and threw several lefts and rights, wanting to brutalize the man's partially wounded face completely. The twenty-six year old did his best to block all the attacks before he shoved the bird-man off, recovering from the beatdown.

Agon moved away, now gesturing at his opponent with a finger that said, "Come at me, I dare you!" or "Bring it on!". His nose was almost broken and leaking a stream of blood while his left face cheek was a bit swollen.

As he predicted, Gus rushed forward with a strong left hook, which was again dodged by Agon. He followed up with a right hook, but it was evaded once more. The young male continually ducked down or pulled back with every hook thrown by the Craw as he continued to mock him. From this defensive tactic, he was forcing the Robbo gangster to exhaust himself from the effort of swinging his arms repeatedly.

"Damn you! Stay still and let me hit you!" yelled Gus with increasing frustration and anger.

He kept this up until he eventually got too tired and was forced to stop. Agon took advantage of this opening by performing a four hit combo in this order: a left jab, a right jab, left snap jab and a powerful right haymaker. This practically spun the other foe around as he was busted open, the blood leaking from his eyes, beak and forehead. He tried throwing his entire body weight at the human fighter and missed when Agon sidestepped. The bird man stood up slowly as his injuries were becoming more evident.

"Come on man, you can do better than that. I'm right here. Just hit me! Not that complicated." taunted Agon, raising his arms in a stance. He flashed a deranged grin at his opponent.

Glaring with pure ferocity, Gus attempted to punch the young man, but he moved behind him and retaliated with a low kick aimed for his left leg; this tripped the Craw onto the ground. He forced himself up and tried again only to be greeted with a three hit combination of punches. Swaying on the spot, the wild Craw made to strike the man yet again; this time, Agon ended the brawl by grappling him, unleashing a string of body punches and a big knee lift (using his right knee) that nearly caved in Gus' lungs. He hacked up bits of scarlet blood as the Craw was unable to stand up after that attack.

* * *

"...Wow... you beat me again..." said Gus, breathing and coughing heavily while clutching his torso. "Gotta say, you're actually pretty good. How'd you learn those moves?"

"Years of training, dedication and the spirit of the fight." answered Agon as he lowered his stance.

"Nice... urghhh... I've never been hurt this much before."

The Craw flashed a bloodied grin of respect. He was struggling to bring himself up when the twenty-six year old helped him.

"Argh... thanks... Never figured you to be the honorable one..." said Gus.

"It's all good. I know you don't actually go looking for trouble. You were just doing your job."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm a pretty cool dude once you get to know me. And since you beat me twice now, you've earned my respect. The way to the eastern side of Rogueport is open to you, permanently free of charge."

Agon patted the bird creature's shoulder in acknowledgment.

"Thanks. You gonna be all right? I think I got a bit crazy during the fight."

"I'll be fine... erghh... though you smashed my chest in pretty hard." said Gus, grimacing in heavy pain while massaging the battered area.

"Well, try to take it easy then. See you around."

Agon began to walk toward eastern Rogueport, but he was halted by Gus' voice.

"Here, take this."

The Robbo gang member handed the bald human a small sack of gold coins. He examined them, estimating that there were at least twenty or so.

"Thanks man, I appreciate that." said Agon with a small smile.

"No problem. Look after yourself, okay?"

Gus left the scene, leaving the twenty-six year old male alone. He proceeded ahead without a clear direction while wiping the crimson paint from his nose. Casually searching around him, it was as beat down as the central plaza, if not actually worse: more graffiti, skulking characters in germ-filled alleyways, worn down walls and grimy cobblestone paths. What a gangster's paradise.

He roved this 'lovely' sector until he found and went inside the Trouble Center, a place where there were jobs posted up on a bulletin board. There was no need to talk to anyone, instead one could take on a mission and just go for it. All one had to do was rip out the paper that contained the trouble and deal with the problem.

'_Let's see what we got here..._' thought Agon, scanning his eyes over the many missions pinned on the board.

He noticed that the troubles had changed since the events of The Thousand-Year Door; new objectives were placed and ready to be undertaken. Some of these included your basic escorts, assassinations, deliveries, headhunting, rumors of hidden treasure, missing people, it goes on. Most of the time, the rewards were proportionate amounts of gold coins; on occasion, it was possible to receive new weapons like a stun baton or an Uzi. In a very rare situation, strange artifacts from parts unknown were also given out to those who were hardy enough to take on the toughest missions.

Agon searched through the bulletin board until he found a particular quest that interested him. He ripped out the paper and mentally read it:

* * *

**Objective:** Eliminate the group of Ghost Hunters inhabiting our Home.

**Location:** Creepy Steeple in the Twilight Trail.

**Briefing:** To anyone reading this, we were scattered and driven off by this unknown group of characters using an experimental weapon. Many of the Boos have fallen to this strange attack with the remaining few being hunted down like defenseless dogs... Help us, please...

**(Poster - Atomic Boo)**

When this is done, find me underneath the stone star statue. Be wary of the dangers around our home, for it has been taken over for some time now.

* * *

"Shouldn't be too difficult..." murmured Agon, pocketing the paper. "Besides, I always liked those cute little round ghosts and it seems like they need the help badly."

The dark-brown eyed man left the Trouble Center and immediately headed into the Rogueport Sewers underneath, using the warp pipe outside of Professor Frankly's home. He set off to find the entryway leading to the perpetual darkness that was Twilight Town.

**(Yeah, I figured I would post this one up as well. I had both chapter three and four done anyways. Whenever I mention the Boo Buddies, I'm referring to the cutesy mainstream ones. You all have yourselves a good day.)**


	5. Into the Darkness

**Into the Darkness**

Here he was, the town of Twilight Town. Just by looking around, Agon could tell that it held this aura of constant darkness in the air, as though the entire atmosphere was in some type of nightly limbo. It was somewhat depressing and tranquil at the same time: the townspeople here didn't seem to be affected by this time of the day, or night, or whatever the time actually was. They must have preferred being nocturnal in this confusing night over the more common daylight cycle.

The man in his mid-twenties walked through this shadowy village, being eyed curiously by some of the local folk because of his black armor vest and weapons.

"You from around here stranger?" one of them asked Agon.

The bald-headed human examined this person closely; he resembled a stuffed doll with a brown buttoned vest and a cloak that cast a shadow over his face. The eerie faded yellow eyes stared into his own dark brown ones.

"No, I'm just wandering around. Where's the way into the Twilight Trail, if I may ask?"

"Right over there," the twilighter pointed toward a wooden gate with someone guarding it. "Just talk to the guy and you'll be able to go wherever you gotta go to."

Agon uttered his appreciation and moved toward the exit of Twilight Town. He spoke to the gatekeeper, who nodded his head and granted him passage to the black woods. As he marched through, he was told to watch himself and be aware of the dangers within.

"I've strolled through the woods a few days ago and I saw these strange people roving there. They have these weapons that fire beams of energy, and they're using them against the ghosts and wildlife residing in the forest. If I were you, I'd be extra cautious facing those guys." the gatekeeper had warned Agon.

'_Beams of energy...?_' thought the young man as he marched down the path, holding his sawed off shotgun in his hands. '_What is he talking about?_'

He didn't get far as he stopped to inspect the corpse of a Hyper Goomba. It looked liked it had been incinerated and reduced to a scorched rock, judging by the blackened appearance. He saw that there were others that suffered the same fate: some of them were Hyper Paragoombas with their wings burnt off while those with spiky helmets still had dying flames cooking their bodies. A select few were unlucky to be nothing more than jet-black piles of ashes and residue. The armed human clipped his nose to block the burning scent withering in the air.

"What happened here?" muttered Agon, wondering about these unusual casualties.

The short man proceeded further down the path, finding more smoking bodies of coal or those that were still on fire. Who or whatever caused this path of destruction was ruthless and decided to kill everything in the way. A few of the leafless trees were even engulfed in flames and thick dark gray smoke, which mingled with the unpleasant burning odor.

In the next area, Agon spotted a tree that was chopped down; the large, weathered obstacle blocked the rest of the route to the woods. He climbed over it and saw more roasted corpses of Hyper Goombas and a few Hyper Clefts. The fungi-creatures he could understand, but the walking stones with shoes? It couldn't have been ordinary fire that managed to break their formidable defenses...

"Guess those Clefts aren't made of igneous rock..."

He faced the entrance to the woods of Twilight Trail, pausing to take a gander at his surroundings. The massive pale yellow moon made its presence known, giving that illusion of being watched and creating the foreboding and ominous feeling. This complemented the shades of violet, pink and burnt orange in the skies. No clouds were seen here: Agon was curious if it ever rained in this place of bright darkness. The trees and the hills nearby were thick silhouettes, like that of a Halloween setting.

The twenty-six year old pressed into the heavily forested, yet mysterious area. As he slowly walked down the way, he couldn't help but feel as though something or someone was watching him...

'_Something's not right here,_' thought Agon suspiciously, repeatedly turning his head left and right. '_It's far too quiet... and where are the wild creatures around this place?_'

His prediction soon became true as a blood-curling shriek pierced the silent atmosphere. He searched for the source of the sound and saw a white round ghost known as a Boo Buddy running, or rather floating away from a human-like character. Taking care to remain hidden, Agon hugged the woods to try to get a closer look:

The being that gave chase to the fleeing spirit was equipped with a large pack that was connected to the weapon he wielded. He wore a mushroom hat with a solid white color and red spots, a blue vest with a beige undershirt, ivory pants and a pair of brown shoes. This person also had something that resembled goggles covering his eyes. His height was that of a normal human, the average height being 5 feet and 7 inches or so. This man was a humanoid version of a Toad, just like the ones in the Mushroom Kingdom and much of the Mario franchise.

"What the hell...?" commented Agon with tones of bewilderment.

His reaction was from what he saw: the Toad fired a deadly crimson laser that struck the retreating Boo. Within a few seconds of futile struggling, the circular ghost was eliminated as it disintegrated into nothing. This display reminded the skulking man about Ghostbusters or the Ghost Gun in Timesplitters: Future Perfect. Seeing the poor little spirit taken out with impunity stirred sympathy within Agon. Almost immediately, this mourning was replaced by outrage and anger directed at the Toad.

"He's going down."

Overcome by the call of combat, Agon charged from behind a cluster of tall dark green trees and began opening fire. The Toad was caught by surprise as he attempted to mow down the shotgunner with the peculiar weapon. He was able to roll away from the lasers and blast the phantom hunter with a few barrages of bullets. When the Toad dropped dead onto the ground, Agon examined his gear carefully.

He lifted the large weapon, giving the impression of being a heavy weapons dude. It was amazingly light to the touch as he noticed the battery indicator flashing frantically. This gun was nearly out of energy it seemed... Despite that, he wanted to try out this new toy. By mere convenience, more Toads arrived with heavy recharging packs and the same weapons that he could use for extra ammo. The noise from his sawed off shotgun had alerted the nearby patrols.

"...Are these the Ghost Hunters...?" Agon wondered while glancing at what appeared to be a group of four. "That kind of gear is certainly out of place..."

A quick burst of plasma whizzed by, a millimeter away from hitting his exposed head. He dived for cover behind a tree as the paranormal mercenaries marched forward and started their assault. In between each time they wavered on their attack, Agon strafed and shot out concentrated blasts of the red energy while on the move. With increasing contact, the weapon appeared to be capable of setting the target(s) on fire in addition to eradicating Boos, like a heat ray. He kept this up until all of them had fallen: the young human gritted his teeth, having his right side of the body partly incinerated. Bits of melted flesh and cartilage were revealed underneath the damaged armor vest.

Agon collected the batteries from the other Heat Rays (due to its incineration capabilities) and recharged his own. The indicator gave out a bright blue aura, indicating that the weapon was fully charged now. Satisfied with this, he moved through the deep forest leading to Creepy Steeple.

* * *

The hairless human gazed upon the intimidating structure that was Creepy Steeple. The building reminded him of an old church, especially with the stained glass on the circular window. A set of front steps led its way to the double metallic doors while there was a well to his right. Within the yard, more leafless trees decorated the area. He was once again greeted by the perpetual twilight sky and the huge moon that seemed to get larger with each glance.

As for the man himself, his vest was completely destroyed, now unveiling several spots of burnt flesh and the remaining bandages. Agon's face was in rough shape: heavy pools of blood were literally painted all over. His arms were almost stripped of all skin as they were more skeletal in form and less human. The affected right side of his body was torched to the point of actually revealing a part of his ribcage. Through the agonized gasps of air, he smiled psychotically, apparently being driven into masochism from the feeling and sight of his own pain.

"Urgh... this must be the place..." he said with difficulty while scanning his surroundings. "From what the paper said, the Ghost Hunters are supposedly holed up inside. Those poor Boos..."

He took out the paper that contained the mission and briefly looked it over. Along his way here, Agon had fought through several more of the Toad mercenaries. He also witnessed other Boo Buddies attempting to escape these relentless hunters, only to be victimized by their Ghost Guns. Those crisscrossing scarlet beams were very difficult to miss when he had been struck by them many times. What was their deal with these cute little ghosts and why were they bent on destroying them completely?

Bleeding and breathing heavily, Agon wielded the Heat Ray and walked toward the double metal doors of Creepy Steeple. Just as he was about to open them, a Boo appeared to his right; this round apparition phased from the wall.

"What are you doing here?! This entire place is overrun with Ghost Hunters! You need to get out of here while you still can!" said the Boo in a whispering voice that sounded terrified.

"I'm here to clear them out, what else?" answered Agon calmly, holding his Ghost Gun.

"Wait... you're helping us out?"

The terribly wounded human nodded solemnly, the Boo Buddy trying to calm himself.

"Who are you?" the ghostly spirit asked.

"Well, let's just say that I'm a wanderer. I got a piece of paper saying that the Atomic Boo residing here needed some assistance."

"It's from him? I see..."

He peered over Agon carefully with a questioning expression in his eyes.

"You fought through the hunters on your way?"

"Yeah, they're tough guys..." said Agon, coughing up a wad of sticky blood.

"All by **yourself**?"

The tone in the Boo's voice told the man he was unmistakably astonished. His widened eyes had further emphasized his shock. The twenty-six year old nodded.

"You're a very strong one, but I don't think you'll be able to fight your way inside our home. The entire place is crawling with those guys!" exclaimed the Boo Buddy in a worried manner.

"I can handle it, erghhh..." stated Agon firmly as he grimaced in pain.

"In the condition that you're in? You're definitely asking for a death wish!"

"So what? I already died once."

The light-brown skinned human glared at the lone Boo determinedly. The circular apparition stared back, both skeptical and stunned by his eagerness to enter the fray. When he spoke, his voice carried sympathetic concern.

"If you're serious about helping us, then I wish you good luck. There aren't many of us left after the Ghost Hunters took over our sanctuary."

The Boo Buddy mulled over on what to say next. He delayed for several seconds before steeling himself for the attack.

"Find the Atomic Boo hiding underneath the stone star statue once you've killed all of them. He'll surely reward you for your stake in all this."

He began to hover for safety, but stopped midway. He had one last thing to say to Agon.

"Be careful, human." said the Boo before leaving.

The bald-headed man gazed at the little ghost heading for the woods: he stood there for what seemed like hours before entering the temple-like structure. When Agon was inside, he was greeted by a large number of Ghost Hunters, all with battery packs, Ghost Guns/Heat Rays and goggles. A quick head count told him there were about twenty of them in plain sight. Some of them were behind pillars while others were positioned on the second floor. They trained their weapons on the wounded human, ready to vaporize him into oblivion.

"Yes... this is what I'm talking about..." muttered Agon while grinning through the overly bloodied visage. He considered this encounter to be a desirable challenge.

Thirsty for a violent fight, the twenty-six year old gripped his weapon and fired away, the entire area now being drowned in a sea of dark red lasers, plasma and energy streams.

* * *

Hooktail was flying through the open skies, on her way back to the castle. She had met up with Gloomtail, who joined alongside the red dragoness and was now in flight as brother and sister. Some time later, they arrived at their destination. As the two of them descended onto the grassy ground, a radiant bluish-white light materialized a short distance from their location. This anomaly dissipated and unveiled the golden vixen Renamon: her purple hood and scarf were back on as she held her spectral blade.

"Hey, it's you again," Hooktail blurted out in unexpected surprise by her sudden appearance. "What's going on?"

"I want to talk to Agon. Do you know where he is?" said Renamon shortly.

"He said something about going to Rogueport for a little wandering around. Now that you brought it up, he's been gone for a while..."

The red dragoness looked thoughtful, her green eyes flickering in unison. He seemed to be taking his time, maybe too much time...

"Hmm... I think you may be wrong there." contradicted the lean fox, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

She tapped into the deepest reaches of her mind for a moment. Shortly after this, her brilliant blue eyes opened up. Her expression turned grave as she faced both dragons.

"I know where he is."

Gloomtail was merely curious while Hooktail gazed at Renamon somewhat distressed. Neither of them said anything as the hooded fox began to teleport to the human's approximate location.

"I'll be back." she stated while disappearing in the same white light.

There was a moment's peace before the massive black dragon commented in an offhanded manner.

"How does she do that?" said Gloomtail, staring at the spot where Renamon was seconds ago.

Hooktail simply glanced at her brother quizzically before suddenly thinking about the whereabouts of her new human friend. Her expression was fretful as she looked up into the early evening atmosphere above, mentally praying for the safety of Agon.

* * *

Renamon was at the gloomy, dark residence of Creepy Steeple. She stared at the church-like home of the Atomic Boo, wondering how long this place had been here for. Her pointed ears perked up; metric tons of laser gunshots and other battle sounds were emanating from the building. She knew that had to be Agon fighting against an opposition all by himself. Without further hesitation, the speedy vixen sprinted toward the double doors and kicked them open.

She saw her friend engaged against a few remaining Ghost Hunters, but what shocked her the most was the condition of the human; he was practically a living zombie at this point. Most of his flesh was flayed and burnt off while he had more blood than ever, all over his figure. His partially exposed right ribcage was fully visible as his reddened back looked like it had been forcibly overcooked. Some of the skin was peeling off at an alarming pace.

As Agon finished off the remnants of the Toad mercenaries, she wore an expression of both stupefaction and brimming concern: how could a human like him endure this much pain and still continue to fight? Renamon rushed over to him, seeing that everyone had been killed, and called out his name. He turned around, blood rushing through his battered veins and into his head as it made him momentarily insane with rage.

"You want some of this too?! OKAY! You got it!" shouted Agon in a frenzied tone.

He wielded his Ghost Gun and was about to fire when he saw the familiar cadmium yellow fox: her dark purple hood and scarf, as well as the red blade symbol on her right thigh had given it away. His facial expression changed from a berserk state to an apologetic one. Agon lowered his weapon and approached her, talking in a normal voice.

"Shit... I almost blasted you with my weapon. I'm really sorry, I thought you were another one of those ghost busting mercs."

Renamon let out a small dismissive laugh as she crossed her arms, smirking at the brutalized man.

"You don't have to worry about that. I would have just evaded the attack entirely and disarmed you."

"Still... apologies for aiming at you." said Agon ashamedly.

"Don't get worked up about it. I sensed your presence from all the way back outside of Hooktail Castle. Are you okay? Because your blood soaked appearance says otherwise." said Renamon, eyeing his half-zombie styled condition.

He breathed heavily as a string of blood leaked from his chest cavity. Nodding to her in confirmation, he began walking around the interior of Creepy Steeple.

"Really? I don't believe you." the hooded vixen said with doubt and disbelief in her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you, you're grievously wounded. How can you still be standing after all that? Doesn't it hurt?"

Agon waved off her statements with a quick motion of his right skeletal hand.

"I've been in this state before, so I'm not foreign to heavy pain. It kind of... feels good actually..."

His tone was suddenly dreamy, as though he just received pleasure from being this horribly hurt. Needless to say, the lustful attitude disturbed the tall yellow kitsune.

"Well it shouldn't! It's your recklessness that's causing you to behave like this. Let me help you with those battle wounds. I don't like to see you in this type of condition at all, nor do I enjoy seeing you in any form of suffering."

"Hehehehe... that's a good one..." said Agon, now chuckling in a psychotic manner. "I'm still alive, aren't I? Why do you concern yourself so much about my well-being?"

"I'm your friend. Can't you see that I care for you? If you died in front of me now..." exclaimed Renamon in a concerned voice as she trailed off.

Upon seeing her sad expression, the half-dead human snapped out of his bloodlust, feeling ashamed of himself. He lumbered to his furry friend and stared blankly, having no words come to his mind. After a few minutes of suspenseful silence, he spoke out to her in a tiny voice of apprehension and curiosity.

"Are you going to leave me? I won't stop you if that is the case. In fact, you don't need to waste your time with me at all. I'll tough it out on my own somehow."

Renamon glared at Agon with a fierce, resolute expression as her blue eyes narrowed, immediately answering 'no' to his ridiculous lone soldier question.

"Absolutely not. You are in need of my help and that is exactly what I am going to do. You're literally out of your mind if you think these wounds won't have any adverse effects on you."

Her conviction to stay with him was further emphasized as Agon fell over, succumbing to the fatal wounds. His melted face screwed up in a sick orgy of hurt, torture, blood and missing flesh. The adrenaline rush had finally ran out, but it didn't seem to stop the man from chortling maniacally, albeit in a weak manner.

Wearing a distressed look on her facial features, she was in deep thought. He needed her more than ever to alleviate his dire condition. After a few moments, the tall yellow vixen had an idea and began walking away. Agon shook his head slowly, mistakenly fearing that she **was** leaving him.

With a grave expression, he sighed as he forced himself up and stumbled toward the stone star statue at the far end of the central hall. The ghoulish human was so heavily focused on finishing his mission that he didn't realize the slender vixen was undergoing a transformation. There was a burning orange aura around her as she was no longer Renamon, but now Kyubimon; she held onto this form for only a brief moment before changing once again.

Agon turned around, perhaps catching sight of something unusual at the corner of his eye. He was just able to view a glimpse of a mythological nine-tailed fox before the blinding light faded away. Now, he saw what looked like a giant version of Renamon, who was Magimon in this state.

Standing nine feet tall, she was wearing a silver cloak with black pants. Her face was covered by the hood attached to the cloak; a dark gray scarf was loosely wrapped around her neck. Her upper body was exposed while the fluffy yellow and white-tipped tail stuck out from underneath the robe. Through the lengthy sleeves, Agon was even able to make out her large purple gloves that had gold shield symbols instead of the traditional yin-yang icons. In this appearance, Magimon seemed to resemble a shirtless mage.

'_Truly amazing!_' thought Agon as he was in shock and awe over this new form of Renamon. '_I've never seen anything like this before... how did she do that?_'

He heard a lighthearted laugh from the towering Digimon, which reverberated inside his head.

'_There's a lot about me you don't know,_' said Magimon calmly, still retaining her telepathic ability. '_But first, allow me to help you with your wounds._'

The robed fox approached Agon closely and held out a massive paw; right away, there was a slow, but steady stream of green energy that built up into a globe. She channeled this power to the gravely wounded human and within seconds, every part of him was being regenerated and healed up. His flesh reformed as the blood was being cleaned up completely, while the armor vest and the rest of his clothes were also returning to their original state. The exposed right ribcage was covered once more by his muscles and flesh. He looked at his arms: the skin was good as new, as if nothing had ever happened.

When Magimon concluded the rejuvenation process, Agon stood there with his mouth open, his eyes widening in total astonishment at what had happened just now.

"I don't believe this, you cured me up like it was nothing! How did you do that? Who or what are you?" he questioned with overwhelming wonder and gratefulness.

"I think once you've finished your task here, we'll be able to talk with each other about our back stories," said Magimon. "Are you okay now? I hope I got everything..."

"Yeah, I feel great! You **are** a lifesaver! Thanks!"

Feeling exceptionally refreshed, Agon dashed toward the very tall vixen. He stopped less than a foot away with his arms out for an embrace; he felt that a hug may have been pushing it. The fully recovered human backed up a bit from Magimon, her austere facial features and magician appearance scaring him somewhat.

'_I'd better think again..._' he said mentally. '_She may not want a hug right now._'

He didn't get far as the giantess (compared to Agon's height of 5'3) walked toward him with a kind smile and picked him up with ease. She cuddled him in her arms like that of a mother hugging her child.

'_You're welcome to hug me as much as you want to,_' she remarked warmly, answering his mental trepidation. '_I'm still the same friendly Renamon that you know, just as Magimon, one of my evolutions._'

'_Really? You're more intimidating than you were as Renamon, no offense intended._'

Agon glanced into the hooded face of Magimon: he was able to make out those icy blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, though they bestowed a heartwarming look toward him.

'_None taken. There's no need to be frightened of me, my little human friend. I have a heart of gold with a protective and affectionate personality on the inside. I'm not going to harm you in any way. Let's get out of here and find a safe place to relax, shall we?_'

'_I'm down with that, but let me conduct some last-minute business first._' said Agon, realizing that he needed to find the Atomic Boo and talk to him about the mission.

After having spoken to the huge Boo Buddy of Creepy Steeple, he was given a sum of four hundred coins. This reward was bountiful, seeing as the ghostly spirit recognized the amount of trouble Agon had gone through to clear out the Ghost Hunters. The twenty-six year old asked the Atomic Boo a few questions, of which one of them was, "If you and your friends could turn invisible, why didn't you do it yourselves?" The Boo answered that the Toads had been equipped with goggles that allowed them to see Boos, even when phased.

He also added that after the takeover, only a few remained as Agon soon saw a dozen Boo Buddies materialize from thin air. They all thanked him for saving what was left of them and bid him farewell, telling him that he was welcome into their home anytime. The young human and Magimon then teleported together to the eternal dark village of Twilight Town.

* * *

They entered the inn as Agon paid the owner twenty gold coins for a cup of steaming hot tea and a restful slumber. Now physically and mentally exhausted, he motioned his large foxy friend to the bed.

"Well, here you go. Feel free to sleep here while I find another set of blankets and a pillow. I'll rest on the floor." said the bald-headed man, removing his armor vest and boots while placing his weapons on a nearby nightstand.

He began to search around when the imposing sorceress stopped him.

"I don't think so. You're not going anywhere if I have anything to do with it." stated Magimon, gently pulling the little man toward her.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"The two of us can sleep together. After leaving and nearly getting yourself killed again, I'm going to personally make sure you don't get away from me this time."

"Are you sure? Because I'll gladly sleep on -"

Magimon placed a huge paw over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"You're not sleeping on the floor. It's very cold and uncomfortable there, whereas with me, it's much better. Besides, your mind tells me otherwise." she said with a smirk.

Blushing slightly, Agon simply nodded in faint resignation: he wasn't about to decline a one-sided offer like this, especially from someone like Magimon.

After hanging up her full body cloak and scarf, the nine foot fox laid down on the surprisingly comfortable bed with Agon in her arms. She kept him in an embrace just strong enough that he could breath, but wouldn't be able to move away. Though he felt this was a bit excessive, it felt really nice nonetheless.

"So you're preventing me from leaving by snuggling me in bed?" asked Agon.

Magimon pulled the blankets over them in response, grinning at him playfully.

"You have a problem with that? I know you're secreting enjoying this, don't even try to lie to me."

"Trust me, I don't want you to let go of me," said Agon, lowering his voice as he couldn't help but smile eagerly. "It's such a rare occasion that I get to snuggle with someone like you."

Agon edged closer to the yellow vixen, resting against her chest. She nuzzled him as her head was situated comfortably on top of his own. Her normally frigid cobalt eyes, while sleepy, looked content with happiness when she gazed at the small man's face.

"Well then, I guarantee that I won't relinquish you from my hold. You're mine now." whispered Magimon while cradling him like a small plush toy.

They clung onto each other for several minutes, with Agon relishing in the warmth of her body before eventually falling into a peaceful slumber. Tomorrow, the two of them would return to Hooktail and let her know what had happened.

**(This chapter ended up longer than usual. Yeah, you can tell I'm taking great deals of liberty here. The Renamon character and all her forms in this story, also both past and future, are not related to the original by the way. I know enough that the real one wouldn't be this emotional, protective or affectionate.)  
**

**(That said, you may as well take it for what it is now. I'll think about giving her a name to try to clear up the confusion. Until then, take it easy fellow readers.)**


	6. Getting to Know Each Other

**Getting to Know Each Other**

The twenty-six year old man stirred in the bed that was designed for one person. As he was beginning to wake up, he felt something on top of him. It was hard for Agon to identify this object or being at first because he couldn't see anything. His initial thought was a massive statue placed on him, perhaps as a joke performed by the innkeeper of Twilight Town. Agon touched the supposed statue, only to feel it moving and breathing almost like a living being... not to mention stone cold sculptures weren't normally soft and cuddly...

'_I can't see anything at the moment..._' he thought groggily. '_Who or what is on me?_'

After a few minutes of struggling, he emerged from the darkness and managed to get a good look. It was a nine foot fox dressed like a shirtless magician sleeping on the bed. Evidently, she had rolled herself on top of the little man during the slumber process.

'_Magimon... I can't believe we actually slept on the same bed._'

Grinning to himself, Agon quietly moved away from the slumbering Digimon and collected his gear. When he was packed, the short human left the inn; he considered waking her up, but decided that it was best not to disturb her. She seemed to be snoozing comfortably on the bed judging by the look of content on her face.

He wandered around Twilight Town until he went into the item shop. The store owner, who wore a pink dress with a red hood and matching shoes greeted him with a cheery "Hello!" and an enthusiastic wave.

"Good day to you sir. What are you looking for?" she said behind the counter.

"Well, what do you got?" asked Agon curiously.

"Ah... check the sign over there."

She pointed toward a wooden board that contained a list of different items, names included. Agon walked over to it and examined the inventory with careful consideration. In addition to the normal items from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the list had some new gear:

* * *

Steel Brass Knuckles _*__25 coins__*****_

Pistol _*__30 coins__*_

Combat Shotgun _*50__ coins__*_ (Pump-action)

Shotgun Shells (20) _*5__ coins__*_

Rockets (6) _*20__ coins__*_

Medikits _*25__ coins__*_

Armored Helmet _*4__0 coins__*_ (with light visor)

Riot Shield _*6__0 coins__*_

* * *

"All right, let's conduct some business then." said Agon while walking back to the counter.

"Take your time, pick what you want." the shopkeeper said happily.

Minutes later, the bald-headed man left with a few new items: a pair of brass knuckles, combat shotgun, six boxes of shotgun shells, two packs of rockets and a metallic riot shield. With the nightly stay at Twilight Inn in mind, this came to a total cost of about 225 gold coins. He sold the Heat Ray for 45 coins, reducing it to 180 coins, which meant he still had 220 gold coins left.

"I wonder where that lady received all that equipment," murmured Agon as he headed for the inn once again. "Maybe it was a new shipment of gear, who knows? Not complaining."

As he approached the double roofed building with a bed icon, Magimon was already outside with her long sleeved arms crossed. She turned her hooded head at Agon.

"Where were you?" she inquired as the towering sorceress strolled over to him.

"Buying some new weapons. I wasn't going to leave you, just so you know." answered Agon casually.

"I know. I was merely wondering about your whereabouts."

"Well, I'm ready to move out if you are. By the way, how did you sleep?"

Magimon flashed a small smile of content.

"Very well, thanks to you." she said with spirited enthusiasm.

Agon simply nodded while trying to hide a faint tinge of pink on his complexion. However, she saw this and picked him up: he found himself hugged by the angel of light herself. It always felt warm and cozy in her motherly embrace.

"Very affectionate." said Agon, a tone of embarrassment and joyfulness edging his voice.

"It's because I like you. You're really cuddly for someone so small." responded Magimon fondly as she brought the brown-eyed human closer to her.

"Well, thank you. I like you too."

She teleported them from Twilight Town to the outside plains of Hooktail Castle. They looked up at the sky: it was early dawn as the orange-yellow sun crept its way from the horizon. Some clouds were visibly floating about while a light wind blew across the open fields. Agon searched around for Hooktail and Gloomtail, but neither dragon were present at the moment. He peered over to Magimon with a puzzled expression.

"Huh... they don't appear to be here right now. Guess they're flying around somewhere."

"I guess for the time being, it's just the two of us." commented the giant magician.

"Yeah... just us two... Gotta do something to pass the time."

There was a brief moment of silence before the young man spoke again.

"So, who are you? I know you saved me a couple of times, but I'd really like to know about you."

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise me one thing." the cloaked vixen said.

"What is it?" said Agon in wonder with an eyebrow raised slightly.

"I want to know about you as well. Since we're safe and alone now, this would be a good time to open up to each other. What do you say?"

The short human nodded in confirmation as he laid down his weapons and shield to the side. He sat down on the cool grass, getting ready for a possibly long, yet meaningful conversation.

"Shall I start first, or you?" asked Agon.

"Whichever one you prefer, my friend." answered Magimon patiently, now also sitting down with her tall legs crossed.

"Very well, I'll go for it."

And so the young man spoke about his past. Whenever he either mentioned something important or interesting, the cloaked fox brought up side questions. After he concluded the rest of his backstory, Magimon gazed at him with a mixture of sadness and amazement.

"So you can't go back to your family? Is that really the case?"

"It appears so," A touch of depression was evident in Agon's voice. "That teleporter only worked as a one-way entrance to this place. At least my mother's invention actually worked instead of it killing me. Who knows what would have happened?"

The magic user nodded in agreement.

"That explains your presence in this world. It sounded like your parents were quite respectful toward you and your brother." remarked Magimon.

"Yeah, they were good to us. We may have had some differences, but we got along as a family overall. My dad was a bit militaristic at times while my mom was often too busy with her latest inventions. Then you have my brother, who really wanted to be a cage fighter. He was the one that trained me in streetfighting and kickboxing for fourteen years. The firearms discipline he got from my dad, who then passed it down to me."

"Well, I'm glad you're capable of defending yourself. But I still worry for your safety." said the evolved Digimon with slight concern.

"I suppose you may be onto something there. Perhaps I'm becoming a bit too reckless in my adventures." replied Agon in a dismissive manner.

Magimon made a face that suggested his shortcoming was obvious from the start.

"'A bit too reckless'? That is an understatement if I have ever heard it."

"Okay, okay, I heard you the first time. I swear, you're like my mother sometimes, except not as protective or caring..." said the bald man with his hands up in defense.

"What do you mean by that?"

Agon shot a questioning expression at her, seeming to appear confused. Glancing back at the cloaked kitsune, he saw a genuinely curious look on her face.

"Well, you seem to worry about my condition quite a bit. First, it was all the way back at the Palace of Shadow, then the mission of Shhwonk Fortress, and yesterday at Creepy Steeple. Why did you help me every time? You could have gone your own way."

"There you go again with that tough attitude... Why would I leave you for dead? Did you really wanted a death wish this whole time?" said Magimon sharply, her blue eyes glaring at him.

"No! That's not what I meant," blurted Agon defensively. "I'm talking about your obligation to protect me, to care for me. Whenever you see me hurt, you make such a huge fuss about it. I've been nearly put to death numerous times as an ex-mercenary, you know. Not like I'm inexperienced."

She maintained her solemn expression as the mystical magician answered his indignant comment.

"I know you're capable of fighting, but going on your own all the time will eventually get you killed. Have you ever stopped to consider how I, or Hooktail, would feel if I lost you for good this time? Your desire to throw yourself in danger scares me, and as your friend, I have every reason to concern myself with you."

"Yeah, you've said that before. I really do appreciate it. That said, you're aware that this wasn't the first time I've been brutalized, wounded and terribly injured? I don't fear pain." said Agon, somewhat irritably.

"It's still no excuse to foolishly charge headfirst into combat without assessing the situation. If you really need it, why not simply ask me for assistance?" Magimon pressed on.

The twenty-six year old man turned his head aside, averting eye contact. He suddenly looked frightened upon hearing what she just said.

"Surely, you have better things to do than follow me around. Just by looking at you, I feel inadequate, maybe even worthless in comparison." In a low voice, he said, "What if I'm too weak for you? What if I don't deserve your help, let alone your friendship?"

Agon shook his head in shame, getting up to walk away from the magician. He took a few steps before he was pulled back into a sitting position by the huge Digimon. She wore a sincere expression within the hooded face.

"You know I would be there for you, no matter what. I will remain by your side through thick and thin. You're my friend and I love you." stated Magimon with heavy conviction.

"No, I understand if you choose to leave me. After all, you're clearly much more powerful than I am. I'm nothing but a mere human to you." Agon shot back, unconvinced by her words.

"You would be correct about that if any other Renamon had taken my place. I realize that my kind is generalized as cold, distant and stern, plus our feral appearance could also be misinterpreted. That said, it's a good thing I'm not at all like the others."

"The others? So you're not THE Renamon?"

Agon stared at Magimon with edging anxiety. He had been thinking that this particular one was the same Renamon from the show. After all, the real one wouldn't be this, shall we say, affectionate? She laughed in a laid-back manner.

"Hahaha, I'm not like that one, no. In comparison, I have an open personality. Was that the reason why you were afraid of me? Because I would deem you unworthy of my companionship?"

"...Yeah..." muttered Agon in a grave voice. He was heavily mortified of this fear and felt that she was mocking him for it.

He scanned the outside of Hooktail Castle, avoiding all eye contact: there were various trees of different sizes and hills that had full grown grass and flowers. Some gray and brown rocks were situated, whether alone or in small clusters. The young human searched the skies, trying to spot a certain sixty foot red dragoness.

Magimon saw his humorless expression and sought to assure the small human. She gently grasped his face with both paws, forcing him to look at her.

"I didn't mean to antagonize you, Agon. My appearance alone scared you off, I can understand that. If I really wanted nothing to do with you, would you be alive right now talking to me?"

He merely shook his head, unable to deny that solid fact.

"Well, I'm not leaving you. Whether you like it or not, I'm going with you from now on. Why venture alone when you have me around? I'm choosing to be your friend, so don't be scared of me anymore."

Then, feeling compassionate for him, she hugged the bald-headed human. He said nothing as he returned the comforting embrace. Her tone had carried a sense of commitment, which raised Agon's spirits considerably. He smiled inwardly: Magimon was right, she could have left him for dead back at the Palace of Shadow, but she didn't. Maybe she really meant everything she said after all...

'_She __**does**__ want to stay with me,_' thought Agon, a bit more confidently. '_And all this time, I assumed that she was that particular Renamon, or at least one of the inexpressive variations._'

'_Don't worry, you can definitely count on it. Your life means a lot to me and I want to protect that from anything that threatens it. I don't think of you as just a human, but as a close friend with a kind heart. And believe me, I know that not many of us tend to be this emotional, so to speak._' said Magimon mentally as she answered his thoughts.

'_...Thank you, Magimon._'

'_Actually, you can call me Angel. I should have mentioned my name when we first met._'

Her echoing voice sounded a bit sheepish and forgetful when she said that.

'_You have an actual name? Oh, I'm sorry about that, I thought you were just called your respective name._' Agon thought apologetically.

'_It's okay, no need to be so wound up about it,_' said the vixen known as Angel assuredly, calming the man. '_I'll be happy to tell you about myself._'

Out loud, the dark-brown eyed human said, "Please, go ahead."

She finally let go of him and began to explain in great depth. Several minutes had passed before Angel finished telling Agon about herself. Needless to say, it was a load of new information for the young man to take in.

From what he had learned, she was a wild Digimon who originated from a place called the Digital World. She had been there for an incredibly long time, slowly mastering her abilities until eventually discovering her power of teleportation. Angel made use of this new knowledge for the first time, not realizing where it was going to take her. This was how she had found herself in the Mario World. Apparently, this Renamon had been here for a while before Agon's arrival.

She told him of her different forms, how she was able to transform into her evolutions. They were Relemon (fresh), Viximon (in-training), Renamon (rookie), Kyubimon (champion), Magimon (ultimate) and Archmagimon (mega). Angel had naturally evolved overtime: back at Creepy Steeple, it explained how she managed to change on her own will. Once each level was unlocked the first time, she would be allowed to utilize those forms at anytime without restriction, unless mortally wounded. In a situation like that, Angel would forcibly devolve depending on her current form. Agon was also informed that some, not all, Digimon were able to adapt and build up their way through the tree in a natural matter, whereas the average one would need a partner (Tamer) to help evolve to their higher forms.

As for what she's been up to before Agon had come to this world, Angel wandered around as a lone wolf. She roamed the many lands, keeping to the wilderness and practicing her abilities. She had also helped those in need out of her own benignity and was apparently a fierce fighter when angered. This specific Renamon kept this routine going until turning up at Rogueport; she had been scouting the run-down, crime-filled town when she saw the red dragoness Hooktail and the short battle-crazy human Agon in the docks. Angel followed him from there, all the way to Gloomtail's sanctum in the Palace of Shadow, where she had revived him.

This was the basis of her origins. While there was still a bit more to talk about, Agon figured that all this would do for now. All in good time...

"Your back story is a lot more interesting than mine, that's for sure." remarked Agon, trying to process this stack of information.

"Thanks, but it was pretty boring for the most part," replied Angel modestly. "I told you there was a lot you didn't know about me. **Now** are you convinced that I'm a different Renamon?"

"I have to. After all, you're very willing to talk to me and are also an affectionate one. You're certainly right about what you said, your kind **is** typically stoic and intimidating. Not to say that all of them are like that, but I'm overwhelmed that you're this openhearted and I'm even more glad that you've decided to stay with me. You are a true friend, even though it's only been a few days."

The golden fox in her ultimate form gave a heartwarming smile toward Agon. She wrapped her entire body around him while still maintaining the sitting position: the small man was in the middle of her lengthy legs as Angel clasped her arms on him. This tender display was like that of an older sister hugging a smaller child.

"Geez, I'm literally a little kid compared to you. That scares me a bit." Agon commented humorously.

"A cute little kid," corrected Angel, holding him lovingly. "and you're also cuddly."

"Ah, stop it. You're making me blush furiously..." he said, letting out a few chuckles.

And indeed Agon's face turned bright red with those exact words. All this intimate affection was sometimes over the top, but he didn't care. A handful of minutes that seem to stretch on for hours passed by in tranquility before the short man spoke again.

"I'm still not used to this."

"Why is that?" asked Angel halfheartedly, more focused on snuggling him like a teddy bear.

"It's just that my mother never gave me this kind of affection. Even when I was a kid, she didn't take it any further than a handshake or a pat on the head," exclaimed Agon. "Not to suggest that she was a bad person or anything, but I wondered what it felt liked to be hugged."

His response was her nose nuzzling the back of his clean head, which caused a tickling sensation. He let out a slight shudder of pleasure.

"Yeah, and asking my older brother Otto or father for a hug was definitely out of the question," he continued. "I already mentioned why earlier, you know, with their manly personalities. Also, I never made any friends growing up, so it'll take more time for me to get used to all this."

"I got nothing but time. I'm a patient and affectionate Digimon, so no worries," and when Agon jokingly tried to escape her embrace, she said, "You're not leaving me that easily, friend. No, you stay here with me this time."

He chortled while raising his hands up in acceptance.

"All right, all right, I wanted to be with you anyways. So, what do you wanna do now?"

"How about you and I fight? I'd like to see what you are made of." suggested Angel.

"While you're Magimon? It would be one-sided!"

"I'll change my back to my rookie form."

He mulled over this sudden idea, unsure that he wanted to engage in combat against his companion. She had a clear advantage over him.

"I – I think you'll kill me..." said Agon in a slightly worried tone.

"It's all right, I won't go all out on my attack. Just hand-in-hand fighting. We'll start with that for now, okay?" said Angel softly as she gazed upon him with an encouraging expression.

"If that's what you want, then sure, I'm up for the challenge."

"Wonderful."

The two of them stood up and distanced themselves a few feet away, preparing for the duel. He probably needed to practice his melee skills, so perhaps this was a good thing. They looked at each other knowingly: Angel reverted to her rookie form, now back to her tall golden fox appearance as Renamon. She removed and placed her phased blade on the grass.

"Whenever you're ready, there's no rush." said Angel as she brought herself in a battle stance.

The short man raised his arms up in a boxing matter, nodding to her.

"Let's do this."

**(I ended up turning Renamon into an OC, after having skimmed through my other chapters. Reading this should make it obvious enough that she isn't the original one from the show or series or whatever. You probably know by now that this one is very affectionate. :) Apologies if this chapter is preachy and too heavy on the dialogue. Reminder: I know nothing about Digimon. I just really like Renamon in particular.)**


	7. Next Course of Action

**Next Course of Action**

Somewhere over the vast blue ocean away from the mainland, the two identical dragons were in flight. They had woken up before dawn and decided to spread their wings in the open skies; this emphasized their absolute desire to enjoy the second chance given to them. Their means of company was a partly cloudy atmosphere covering the otherwise bright blue color and strong gusts of cool winds. Today wasn't as warm as some of the previous days that passed by. At this present moment, the massive duo was engaged in conversation.

"So this is what it's like to be outdoors once more," said Gloomtail happily. "Such an undetermined amount of time has passed since my imprisonment back at the Palace."

"Yes, I can definitely sympathize with you. I'm just glad that the both of us survived the battle against that red-capped plumber Mario," agreed Hooktail. "If we ever see him again, maybe we could try to be friends with him."

"I wouldn't be too optimistic about that. Even though we used to be the Shadow Queen's pets, he may only view us as rampaging, bloodthirsty dragons of death. He wouldn't believe a word from **you** in particular."

The red dragoness understood what her brother meant by that: the fact that she attempted to deceive Mario with false offers was most likely not lost on him. Back then, Hooktail thought only of her own survival.

"I think, if we hadn't been in the way, the plumber would probably be okay with the idea of friendship between us. He only defeated us because we were tasked by our mistress with guard duty."

"Perhaps... but if we do see him again, we should be careful nonetheless," said Gloomtail, glancing at his young sister. "As much as I would like to make amends, he may think otherwise."

She nodded correspondingly, her brother making an important point. Who knows what might actually occur if Mario ever encountered the two of them again. They also remembered that their eldest brother Bonetail was defeated in the Pit of 100 Trials by the same man of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"And you have probably forgotten that Mario dealt with our oldest sibling. However, he was long dead due to the Shadow Queen's neglect over him," the black dragon continued in a dark voice. "He was sent away and trapped in total isolation for centuries, starving to death in the process. In a way, the red plumber put Bonetail out of his lingering misery; being alive as a skeletal husk incapable of proper speech couldn't have done him any favors."

"You're right about all that, don't assume that I have forgotten about our oldest brother. What do you think of the idea though? Should we try to be friends with him or exact revenge? I'm not entirely sure myself." asked Hooktail with a questioning look in her green eyes.

Gloomtail said nothing as he was musing over the events that took place before the fall of their mistress. He remembered the fight against Mario and his crew of companions, having encountered them in his sanctum. When one of them mentioned killing a dragon exactly like Hooktail, he reacted in a livid manner; their intrusion also did nothing to aid the already hostile situation.

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! You destroyed my precious younger sister?! I wondered why she hadn't written recently…"_

Which followed up with:

"_Quake in fear, mortals! For I am Gloomtail!"_

"_I will avenge my sister by taking your lives…and then gnawing on your bones!"_

And eventually ended this way:

"_No… No… Is it true? Can I…expire?"_

He had fought the people that, at the time, killed him and his beloved sister. Even with his strongest attacks such as Earthquake, the Poison Breath and Megabreath, Gloomtail lost to Mario. Had the female red dragon actually died in the hands of the idolized plumber, he would have immediately dismissed the possibility of an alliance. Hooktail was alive however, causing a vapid moment of mental conflict. The dark dragon was also alive and the visit from the little human Agon confirmed this. Wondering about this confusing revival, he addressed the question to Hooktail.

"How did that human know of our survival? He didn't look anywhere like a native of this land."

"Agon mentioned a video game called Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door," explained Hooktail. "That's how he knew where to find us, though it doesn't explain how we're alive right now. He theorized something about the two of us being severely wounded as opposed to having died."

"That answers one of my questions, but is he from this world?" inquired Gloomtail curiously.

"No, he is from a planet called Earth. He was teleported here from his homeland via a dimensional gateway, courtesy of his mother. This invention of hers served as a one-way portal here, so Agon is unable to return home."

Her brother listened with intensifying attention: he realized that he barely knew of the human's origins unlike Hooktail, who was told the life story by Agon after asking. They stopped midair, wings still flapping noisily which kept them hovering over the endless waters.

"Why did he find us? Why all the time and effort just to seek us out?" asked Gloomtail, now looking upon his sister with his red eyes.

"Well, it started off with him feeling bad for me," began the crimson dragoness. "Several days ago, I found him in my castle asleep on the floor. When he awoke, we talked for a bit. We became friends at that point and he took it a step further by finding you. Agon felt that since we lost Bonetail, it was only fair that he reunited the two of us as brother and sister. He found you in the Palace of Shadow and freed you from your eternal prison of isolation. I would think he did all this for two reasons: because he desired to be friends with me and also because he felt this obligation to bring us back as siblings."

The brotherly mythological beast was quiet for a brief moment, peering at Hooktail with tinges of amazement and affection for the bald-headed man.

"No other being would have done this, right? It was him of all people that chose to bring you and I together again?" said the sixty-foot male dragon.

"Indeed."

Gloomtail had a great degree of respect for the small human. That red-capped plumber would not have committed himself to a deed like this. Although stupefied by his suddenly strong belief and faith for the two dragons, he would guarantee one thing; Agon would be considered a true friend and would also trust the relations between the human and his young sister.

"All that for friendship? He must be fond of you... Well, I'm really happy that he came to this world after all. Without his arrival, we would not be here together now." exclaimed Gloomtail with a tone of gratitude as he smiled at his young sister.

"I'm joyful of his arrival here as well," answered Hooktail with high enthusiasm. "He is a kind human who thought of our kinship before himself. He deserves my friendship and I'm really glad that you approve of the idea."

"It's a modest thing Agon asked for. I hope that the two of you will get along well in time."

"Speaking of which, I'd like to see him again. Renamon said she would be back with him, I'm going to find that out now." said Hooktail, slight concern and anxiety replacing her peppy demeanor.

Her older brother simply nodded as the two of them flew into the horizon once more. They changed direction and made their way toward Hooktail Castle, where the group normally met. Since the pair was a long distance away from the land, it would take some time. She guessed that the golden fox and the little human was waiting for them to come back. The enormous female dragon picked up speed and was ahead of Gloomtail, eager to be with the short man once again.

* * *

Outside of Hooktail Castle, Agon was sweating and bleeding: he had just finished another fighting session against Angel, who once again emerged victorious. Out of five battles, he had only managed to win one. She was faster and more proficient in melee combat than he was, plus she could warp short distances as an evasive maneuver. His black shirt (underneath the armor vest), dark blue pants and gray boots were ripped up and tattered. Many deep claw marks were decorated on his arms, face and body. He was hopping on his left foot as his other leg, while not broken, was badly beaten up.

While Angel had been dominant during the fight, she had her share of beatings: her fur was somewhat roughed up as a couple of bruises here and there made their presence known. Her icy blue eyes appeared exhausted while some dirt marks were on her face. The purple gloves, hood and scarf were slightly torn, but in good condition still. Despite all this, the Renamon was not terribly injured enough that she couldn't evolve to her other forms.

"I told you I didn't stand a chance against you," commented Agon as he wiped the blood from his bruised mouth. "I'm not even sure that I laid my hand on you once during this entire time."

"Didn't stop me from challenging you nonetheless. Besides, you're pretty good yourself, seeing as you guarded against some of my attacks. You even managed to stand up after taking the full blow of my Power Paw and Diamond Storm abilities." said Angel the Renamon with a small grin, who supported the young man with his right arm over her shoulders; she was holding his midsection with her left arm. Her hood was pulled back and her scarf was untied.

"Strong attack... I thought your high speed and martial skill alone would have steamrolled my own prowess entirely. If you wanted to, you could have easily killed me."

"No, that's one thing I would never do to you," stated the bright yellow vixen, gently pressing her head against his. "I only wanted to test you. You may be 'just a mere human', but you're also my friend."

Agon smiled through partially missing teeth that was caked with blood. He gave Angel a hug, though it wasn't at full strength from his moderate injuries. A few dark-red smears appeared on her slightly unkempt yellow and white fur.

"Still, the fact is a fact: you would have done more than beat me, no questions." he remarked truthfully.

"I'm aware of that. If I had been another Renamon, let alone a different Digimon, perhaps you would be correct, but **I** could never kill you." said Angel while embracing the short man. Then in a low voice that was suddenly loyal and truthful, she added, "I would protect you with my life, no matter the situation."

"Not if I do so first," responded Agon with a struggling, yet amusing tone: the wounds were aching painfully. He felt as though someone had used him as a scratching post full of meat. "I don't want you to die for me. I think that's a bit extreme."

He broke from the hug and grasped her purple-sleeved paws, which had golden shield symbols on the gloves. His dark-brown eyes gazed steadily into the narrow blue irises with a chivalrous look. Angel stared back warmly as her own paws clenched his cut-up hands.

"Please don't kill me for saying this... but I think you're too beautiful to die. If anyone laid a finger on you, let's just say that I would take care of the perpetrator for good. I couldn't imagine seeing you in any type of pain and suffering what so ever. If one of us is going to act as a sacrifice, it should be me."

The slender vixen warrior was completely silent, taken back by his words. A faint pink blush appeared on her face after being called 'beautiful'. Seconds had passed before Angel moved closer to Agon and wrapped her large tail around him.

"Thank you Agon," she said wholeheartedly, her friendly gaze intensifying. "But don't put your life above mine. You dying once was enough already and I want the both of us to live to see tomorrow. We'll protect each other from the outside forces that threaten to tear us apart."

"Yeah, I guess there's that too, the whole teamwork thing and all," the twenty-six year old admitted, perhaps feeling that his heartfelt speech was a bit over the top. "And I apologize for calling you beautiful, it was uncalled for."

"Awww, don't worry about that. You're just complementing me like a gentleman." said Angel, almost cooing her words.

"Heheheh, well... you are very attractive..."

Agon turned away, trying to hide his pinkish-red complexion. She found this cute and kissed him on the forehead: it lasted for a few, everlasting seconds in time before the golden fox finished.

"God, you're such an awesome friend, you know that?" exclaimed the sheepish human with a fiery spirit.

"You too." answered Angel, now locking him into a bear hug.

They stayed in this loving embrace for minutes, having no care for anything but each other. After the small human and the affectionate fox released each other, she spoke again.

"Want me to heal you of your wounds? I may have been rough on you."

"Nah, don't bother, I'll tough it out." said Agon, shaking his right hand in a dismissive way.

However, she ignored both the comment and gesture as the Renamon was undergoing her transformation process: first, it was from Renamon to the nine-tailed creature Kyubimon, then to the sorceress Magimon with her silver cloak and dark gray scarf along with the rest of her attire. When Angel concluded the evolution into her ultimate form, she cast a curing spell over the fairly injured human.

'_Well, so much for that,_' thought Agon nonchalantly, channeling his mental speech toward the psychic-sensitive user. '_Thank you Angel, I appreciate the assistance._'

Angel, as the nine foot giantess Magimon, gave him a kind smile once the recovery process was complete. She walked over to him.

'_You are most welcome. Are you feeling better now?_' she said telepathically.

'_Yeah, you're amazing. I wonder what other moves you can do while in that state?_'

'_Plenty. You can probably tell that I'm a spellcaster in this form. This isn't called the ultimate level for nothing._'

Agon nodded in confirmation. He wondered what she was capable of conjuring, given that healing seemed to be one of her specialties.

"Well, now that we're done here, I was thinking of going to the Trouble Center in Rogueport. You don't have to come with me, if -"

He was swiftly interrupted as she carried the little man in her sleeved arms: this action had come out of nowhere, surprising him slightly. Her normally stern facial features scrutinized his expression.

"You're not going alone anymore. I'm with you from now on and I know you want me to tag along. Don't lie to me." Angel said, smirking a bit through the hooded visage.

"I was joking anyway. I figured that we could keep each other company. Will you come with me?" asked Agon while already knowing what the answer was going to be.

The evolved Digimon beamed at him.

"I would love that."

The bald-headed human clapped his hands together and said, "Perfect! We might as well do something until Hooktail and Gloomtail come back from wherever they went off to. I still haven't seen them yet. Just let me gather my stuff first..."

He picked up all of his gear and double-checked the inventory: brass knuckles, sawed off and pump-action shotguns, rocket launcher, ammunition, riot shield, everything was good. Remaining in her ultimate form, she teleported the two of them to the central plaza of Rogueport. They trooped along the eastern section until going inside the Trouble Center. Agon searched the many missions posted on the bulletin board until finding this one:

* * *

**Objective:** Investigate the disappearance of the Excess Express Train.

**Location:** Last seen in the Riverside Station.

**Briefing:** Over a number of weeks since its last trip, the Excess Express has not been seen. We are unaware of its condition, passengers and staff. We need someone to check it out.

**(Poster – Engineers of the Excess Express)**

For more information, speak with the Toad in charge of overseeing tickets. He is wearing a black hat with large blue dots.

* * *

'_Something to do..._' thought Agon as he finished reading the last of the trouble.

He ripped out the paper from the board and passed it to Angel, who skimmed through it. She nodded quietly and then looked over to the twenty-six year old.

"This will be the first time we work together," she said, crossing her robed arms. "Now you'll be able to see me in action."

"Looking forward to that. Let's go." replied the small man.

They exited the Trouble Center and headed for the train platform in West Rogueport.

**(It should be noted that I'm typing up this story for fun. I'm enjoying it and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.)**


	8. Encountering the Undead

**Encountering the Undead**

"So what can you tell us about the missing train?" asked Agon, who was speaking to the Toad wearing a black overcoat with the matching hat; it also had the large blue dots on it.

"Sadly, not much, other than the Excess Express train leaving on its last trip weeks ago. We don't even know the condition of the people, let alone our working staff inside. I'm positive something happened..." said the Toad ticketmaster with an air of bemusement and anxiety.

The bald-headed human, Angel and a few members of the staff were at the train platform in west Rogueport. They were discussing the whereabouts of the train: the engineers offered no more than what the ticketmaster already covered. It seemed that the Excess Express was headed for Poshley Heights on its usual route, stopping at Riverside Station and continuing onward to its destination. Other than the fact that weeks went on without so much as a single word, nothing else. Agon frowned to himself while Angel simply looked at the staff members with a grave expression, her silver sleeved arms connected together.

"Well, that's not a lot to work with," said Agon, addressing the members of the Excess Express. "It's quite a vague mystery. Are you sure that's all you know?"

The engineers and ticketmaster nodded apologetically, wishing that they were able to tell the twenty-six year old more information. One of them, a Toad dressed in blue overalls and a white mushroom hat with red dots, piped up.

"Are you still going to help?" he questioned in a slightly worried tone. He was afraid that Agon and Angel would turn their backs on them.

Both the young man and the sorceress uttered their answers: they were going to do this mission. After all, they were adventurers, not remorseless mercenaries that thought about profit and absolutely nothing else.

"Don't you worry, we'll get on the case right away." stated Agon with a small grin.

"Where is Riverside Station?" inquired Angel, also in agreement with her little companion.

"Follow the railway, you'll eventually get there that way. Since the Excess Express is the only train in our transportation system, you won't risk being run over. It'll take a while though." explained the ticketmaster as he pointed to the rails.

Agon gave the Toad wearing the black cap a doubtful look.

"That's a fair distance from here..." he commented while scratching his hairless head.

"Well, with the only train still not coming back from its current trip, I don't see many other options."

Just as the short human opened his mouth to ask another question, he heard Angel's gentle voice echo within his mind.

'_I have teleportation, remember? I'll be able to pinpoint the location and bring us there._'

Agon merely nodded in acknowledgment, having momentarily forgotten about her abilities. He concluded the conversation with a farewell.

"Won't stop us from finding your train. We'll be back." he proclaimed firmly.

"Thank you, sir. Please report to us once you have found the Excess Express." the ticketmaster said, relieved by their eagerness to undertake the mission.

He and the other engineers left the platform, leaving Agon and Angel alone.

"You ready for this?" the dark-brown eyed man asked.

"Just waiting for you." she responded, placing her large paws on his lean shoulders.

"Go for it."

The giantess concentrated for several moments as a faded white aura appeared around them. Slowly, it intensified to a blinding flash and soon disappeared: they were no longer on the train platform. A Bob-omb, as well as a small handful of civilian Toads and Goombas, witnessed this unusual phenomenon.

"Whoa... what did I just see...?" he muttered to himself before trotting away.

* * *

The contrasting duo arrived at the Riverside Station. Besides the platform, there was an old building made of bricks that had a canvas scheme in the colors green, red and white. Its entrance was a set of green double-doors as an indecipherable board was nailed to the left. A bench and a wooden garbage bin sat beside each other and below the board. There was also a dark blue sunroof that served as shade from the warm sunset over the horizon. The mild sky contained various shades of orange, such as pumpkin, tangerine, dark orange, fluorescent orange, and bits of yellow.

Up ahead of the tracks was a drawbridge with a mechanical lowering bar; the bar itself resembled a barber spiral excluding the rotation. The bridge was lowered, so there couldn't have been any problems for the Excess Express proceeding to Poshley Heights. Finally, the chain of train cars was situated peacefully on the tracks itself. From the outside, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Agon and Angel approached the train somewhat carefully.

"Here's the Excess Express. I don't see anything strange here." said Agon as he skimmed his eyes over the cars connected to one another.

"No... something's wrong..." contradicted Angel, closing her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I'm not entirely certain, but the inside of the train is plagued by something..."

The short human grunted in slight confusion, walking toward the door leading to its interior. However, he stopped just as he gripped the edge, his facial features suddenly becoming apprehensive. The Digimon in her ultimate form noticed his changed expression.

"Do you sense it?" she questioned while conjuring a one-handed staff in her left paw.

"Well, I hear this unusual noise coming from behind the door. Just listen." he answered in a low voice, pressing his left ear against the train entryway.

At first, there was nothing: then, a rather loud groaning emanated from within. It was not that of a drunken fool who had one too many shots, but more of someone that was incredibly sick. That was not all as several more noises joined in, some growling, some moaning and some even screeching. They sounded awfully agonized, yet zombie-like...

"What the hell is going on in there...?" Agon murmured in a voice of uncertainty, taking out his riot shield and combat shotgun.

He slowly opened the train door and was met with an abominably fetid odor, along with some grotesque sights. There were Toads, Koopas, Shy Guys, Goombas and a few Piantas, all with similar characteristics that clearly told him they were undead creatures from the desecrated ground. In addition to their mangled clothing, all of them had missing eyes, noses, mouths and jaws, arms, legs and heads. Blood was also painted in different places on their rotting bodies. He recoiled slightly from both the foul stench of dead corpses and from the actual zombies themselves.

"Holy shit, these are zombies..." exclaimed Agon in a moderate stupor as his eyes widened.

"Indeed..." Angel said gravely, somewhat disgusted by the horrendous sight.

They only had seconds to goggle at these fictional beings of Halloween before a handful of them charged forward. While they were slow for the most part, some of them actually had the physical energy to sprint toward their prey. A half-dead Koopa with a broken green shell hissed at Agon, revealing his gaping throat.

"I'll blast your damned head off, undead scum!" yelled Agon as he fired the first shot, blowing the Koopa's head clean.

Immediately after, the first wave overwhelmed him: the twenty-six year old found himself forced to shove off the ghouls with his shield. Angel rushed in and began whacking the various zombies with her staff, which was enchanted in a continuous blue flame.

"I'm here to assist you, friend!" she shouted while clearing out the now burning horde.

"Much obliged!" the fighting man said in kind.

They eventually fought off the initial group of undead coming from the train. All was quiet for a brief time. During the hectic battle, Agon's arms and shoulders had been repeatedly bitten while his armor vest was chewed up like food. Angel's wizardly attire was partially ripped apart from the claws of the zombies and her staff was already covered in their entrails, though the magical fire remained lit.

"Ferocious monsters..." remarked Agon as he was breathing heavily. He winced when he touched the deep bite-marks on his arms.

"Yes, they are violent brutes with an unending desire to eat our brains," Angel answered solemnly, though a touch of dry humor made its way through. "We should be cautious from here on."

"Got that right..."

The two of them entered the infested Excess Express and was greeted by another horde of zombies from both sides. While the human was shooting his way through the left, the towering vixen dealt with the zombies to the right. She conjured and unleashed a series of runic lasers using both her paws and staff, making quick work of the undead. The few that remained was eliminated by the flaming staff. Satisfied with this, Angel looked over to Agon, who was steadily thinning out the crowd with his shotgun. She noticed his struggles and aided him by summoning a set of levitating weapons that gave out a faded glow: they consisted of swords, axes and maces.

'_Where did those come from?_' thought Agon, witnessing the floating weapons coming to his aid. Along with his ranged support, his share of zombies became nothing more than a pile of decaying meat and bones that were sliced, cleaved or pummeled.

'_I did that,_' Angel replied, her cool voice reverberating in his mind. '_You looked like you needed some help._'

'_Whatever that was, it was great. I would guess that it's one of your abilities as Magimon?_'

'_Definitely, and you probably figured out that healing is also one of my other specialties. Speaking of which, let me help you with those injuries._'

A glimpse of bright yellow energy engulfed the wounded human. Within seconds, his bitten, bloodied arms and shoulders were back to their normal state. He gave the nine foot tall Digimon a smile of gratitude.

"You're my lifesaver." commented Agon.

"Anything to make sure you don't die on me." said Angel, a warm expression upon her austere face partly covered by the shimmering white hood and scarf.

They moved through the green hallway of the first passenger car and proceeded their way to the southern end; the duo encountered and fought even more zombies in the second passenger car, the dining area and the third passenger section. There were occasions when some of them feigned death and rose up from behind. A few of the undead beings also had the ability to spit out wads of corrosive acid, which singed both the man and the robed fox.

A short amount of time went by before Agon and Angel were at the end of the third passenger car decorated in a blue scheme. The young human, despite having his vest and a part of his midsection melted off, was decently healthy overall. Angel's clothing was badly smoked as she showed signs of injury. Leaning against the wall opposite of the door, she focused her energies on healing her own wounds. Agon tried to open the entryway in the meantime.

"Locked, as expected. I'm gonna kick it down." he said under his breath.

With as much force as the small man could gather, he smashed the sturdy door with his right foot, doing so a few times. It made metallic clanging noises. He shook his head in disappointment and agitation: the access barrier did not relent. The young man had beads of sweat appearing on the sides of his head.

"Strong door..."

He attempted to shoot the locks open, which punched a jagged hole through and revealed its contents. While Angel was still recovering from the last attack, Agon dashed inside and swiftly explored the car. There were loads of luggage, some small, some large and with different colors. Tags were adorned on the tops of certain cases. A few backpacks and suitcases were tucked away in their own section. Big wooden crates with varying labels were situated in an even fashion, like someone having done a constant inventory count that bellowed out 'Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder'. He shrugged his shoulders and returned to the blue hallway of the third passenger car.

"The baggage car." stated Agon simply, disarmed by the lack of undead presence this time.

He saw the vixen in her ultimate form just finishing up with her healing process. Wearing a look of concern, he said softly, "Are you all right? I hope you're not too wounded..."

Angel nodded to him, a little grin appearing on her face. She brandished her fiery staff in her right arm.

"I'm okay, don't worry." she answered confidently.

"All right then, since nearly everything's cleared out, let's investigate this entire train. I'll cover this section and the restaurant car, you secure the northern end."

The nine foot tall Magimon looked somewhat uncertain: she didn't want to leave her friend alone for even the shortest of moments. He gazed at her insistently, telling her that he could take care of himself. She ran off as Agon began his search, starting with the cabins labeled '008', '007' and '006'.

The smaller interiors themselves were well furnished and even decorated in a regal matter. He saw the bunk-beds, the drawers that had flower vases on top, polished wooden tables with fancy lamps and plush chairs fastened to the wall. A wide glass window with a velvet curtain was in between the beds and chairs, allowing for a good view of the scenic outside. The passengers here had some high class accommodations for the trip to Poshley Heights. He knew from playing The Thousand-Year Door that the other cars had the same embellishments, just with either red and orange or green schemes (floors and wallpaper).

'_Quite ornate for a train,_' thought Agon with a pleased observation. '_A place like this means you'll get your money's worth. Just gotta ignore the blatant undead presence..._'

He proceeded to the restaurant car, where many undead corpses laid in rest; most were burnt off, others were blasted to pieces and some had their limbs torn right off. This entire area was in one serious mess. Agon lightly kicked a torso that still twitched on occasion. He then inspected the storeroom that sold items, noticing the dead shopkeeper. He seemed to have died fighting as he held a pistol in his right hand. A few zombie bodies were on the ground.

'_At least he didn't become one of them..._'

The young man examined the counter, finding two boxes of shotgun shells. He took them and left the store. Agon paced the rest of the kitchen area until catching a terrible scent coming from the half-eaten meals. He carefully stepped closer to one of the dining tables and scrutinized the dinner plate. Even though the food had been sitting around for weeks, it smelt worse than usual.

'_Ugh, that's some spoiled meal right there._' he commented inside of his head, wrinkling his nose when the unknown odor penetrated his nostrils.

He checked the other tables: the results were the same. They all yielded that more-disgusting-than-usual aroma. A growing suspicion was replacing his formerly revolted expression. Perhaps there was a reason for the passengers and travelers being zombified...

Marching to the inside of the kitchen, Agon searched the faded black and bronze stove-top. There were two large circular pots that contained a once-delicious stew of delicacy. Now, when he took a gradual moment to look inside, the soup, meat blocks and vegetables were botulized with great spots of mold. The food was incredibly damp and mushy to the touch, as if it liquefied overtime. What stood out from all this was the strange black fluid leaking from the bottom of the pots.

'_It's always worse when finding the source of the plague... What's with this though? Why is the food covered in this peculiar black sauce...?_'

He carefully inspected this tar-like substance up close: it was as though an oil spill had occurred while the cook was preparing the meals. Not only was it all over the stove and some of the floor, the scent that came from it was the worst of all. He felt that it took several industrial ingredients and mixed them together recklessly to form this devastating smell. Covering his nose, he investigated the pantry. Inside was your average chef's basic needs for cooking, but he noticed a few packages of Mushrooms had been opened up. He took these boxes out and found a shroom. However, instead of the usual pale bottom and white cap with red spots, this one was sickly green with bleached lavender dots. It also looked dried up compared to the regular variants.

'_A poison shroom, that most likely explains the overall condition of these unfortunate passengers,_' Agon hypothesized as he held the gangrenous ingredient on his right palm. '_And I can guess that there were more than one..._'

Sure enough, the inquisitive human continued taking out more of these deadly toxic mushrooms until the packages were totally empty. He quickly counted a dozen of them.

'_How did these plagued mushrooms get here in the first place, a mistake in the shipping process? Maybe they __**were**__ normal shrooms that went bad overtime. Whatever the case, I think it's best if I destroy these fungi before this disease becomes viral._'

He placed all of them on the stove-top. Thankfully, the appliance itself was still operational, so burning these infected fungi would not be an issue. By setting the knob to the maximum heat level, he witnessed each individual mushroom simultaneously melting like candle wax. Eventually, the poison shrooms became a pool of goop that soon evaporated into thin air. Apart from the burning scent, the zombie source was stopped. The bald-headed man crossed his arms in satisfaction before leaving the restaurant car and entering the second passenger car.

Some more undead corpses were situated throughout the halls and inside the rooms. Nothing new there. He kept going until meeting up with the huge Magimon at the northern end of the Excess Express.

"Nothing here?" he asked her.

"Seems we cleared out the majority of the zombie horde," replied Angel, holding her staff close to her. "I believe this is the only area we haven't been into yet."

Agon glanced at the door that led to the main engine room. He stared at Angel with a knowing look plastered on his face.

"Let me guess: something is waiting for us inside."

It was not at all a question, but an assuming statement of fact. The sorceress nodded in confirmation.

"An unfriendly presence... We should be ready to fight." she said.

Right away, Angel blasted the door open with a laser beam from her staff. Agon moved in rapidly with his battered shield and combat shotgun at the ready. She ran in after him as they encountered a lone zombie.

He was a Toad engineer wearing a dark-gray hat with a slackened black brim. A matching coat complement the headgear as he also donned a pair of white gloves and brown shoes. Unlike the rest of the horde, he looked strangely normal: the brainless groaning, repetitive desire of blood and guts and the lifeless eyes made it clear that he wasn't. Not only that, but the engineer had an odd bright green glow on him, like that of someone being dipped in radioactive waste.

"Him too, huh? There's something different about him." commented Agon as he observed the plaguing aura.

"Yes... he doesn't appear to be fodder compared to the others. Stay alert." said Angel, narrowing her cobalt eyes toward the undead engineer.

The twenty-six year old man stepped forward and shot the Toad with his shotgun. Almost instantly, the zombie came back to life. Agon pulled the trigger again and he got the same result. After a few more futile attempts to kill this particular undead being, he gave up, his face contorted into frustration.

"Damn! He just keeps getting revived with each barrage!" he shouted as he trained his shotgun on the engineer, but made no further assaults.

"Hmm... let me try." chimed in Angel.

The nine foot tall Digimon charged forward with immense velocity and whacked the zombie with her staff, setting him ablaze. At first, he keeled over and let out what sounded like a death growl. Some seconds later, he rose back up and attempted to claw Angel. She dodged effortlessly and struck the undead engineer again; he stayed down for a longer period of time before rising up yet again, weakened from the blow. The Toad slammed the ground with destructive force, pushing Angel back a few feet while she braced herself. Several cracks and dents appeared on the semi-crater of the main engine room.

"It seems that fire is his major weakness," the extra-large kitsune pointed out, wielding her staff menacingly. "If I can hit him once more, this will be over."

As she began to lunge forward, the zombie engineer raised his right arm and let out a guttural moan. He summoned other undead companions that literally appeared straight from the floor of the engine room. They were Koopas, Piantas and other Toads. These hideous creatures stormed in, attempting to surround the heavily attired Digimon. Agon moved in and aided her in eliminating the zombie threat with ranged support from his shotgun. As they were temporarily occupied with this, the engineer strafed to the side and brought both arms up, ready to strike the robed fox.

He nearly succeeded in the attack when the short human intervened with a shield charge. This fast impact sent the ghoulish Toad tumbling downwards onto the floor.

"You got this one Angel. Finish it." said Agon.

"With great pleasure." answered Angel through tattered clothes.

She aimed her staff at the stunned zombie and created a small, but steady laser that was incinerating him. The beam continued to intensify in strength until he was nothing but a small mound of ashes, which was then completely burnt up. Smiling to herself, she looked at Agon victoriously.

"Taken care of." she said shortly, placing a paw on her left hip.

"You're telling me... remind me never to anger you. I'm already fearful of you as it is." said Agon with a string of trepidation.

She just laughed modestly, lightly rubbing the top of his hairless head with her other paw.

"Believe me, **if** I had to attack you, it would purely be out of self-defense and nothing else. I would never harm you intentionally."

"Right, but I'm just a bit paranoid, that's all." he added dubiously.

"Don't be," said Angel patiently, flashing an assuring smile at him. "We're friends, you and I."

After she healed him and herself of any wounds received during the fight, they left the Excess Express: the zombie infestation was now taken care of. As for the train itself, it would take a hell of a lot more than a cleanup crew to drag out the lifeless bodies of the undead.

* * *

Agon and Angel sat down on the wooden bench next to the station. He glanced at the open skies: the blazing light was replaced by a glinting silver moon from afar. A few wispy clouds hovered their way through the dark blue and purple blanket. Yellow and light blue speckles were etched on the serene atmosphere, giving the impression that the stars were joined together in harmony.

"We were inside the train much longer than I realized. Judging by the darkened sight above, I'd say it's late evening now." said Agon as he discarded his nearly destroyed shield on the ground.

"It's a beautiful sight though, look at those stars..." responded Angel in a calming voice, pacified by the mild night.

"Yeah, you're right about that. Tonight is quite peaceful..."

Agon sat back, almost falling asleep: the Digimon beside his left changed back to her rookie form, evident by a quick flash of orange light. He turned his head slightly.

"Well, since it's quiet now, I don't need to be in my ultimate form." she pointed out, addressing his curious expression.

"Ah, I see. By the way, I found out what caused this undead virus." said Agon.

"And what would that be? I was wondering how it happened in the first place."

"There were these poisoned mushrooms I found in the kitchen. Whether they were spoiled or mixed up with the regular ones, I'm not sure, but that's probably what caused these people to get infected," explained Agon, gesturing with his hands. "The cook must have used those shrooms in his stews, so when he served it to the passengers and staff, they would soon become zombies. I managed to burn the remnants on the stove-top. Hopefully, this will be the last of the virus."

The yellow hooded fox, back to being Renamon, looked at the small human with a sickened expression. She wondered whether the cook had been deliberately behind this plague. Agon merely shrugged, not actually knowing himself.

"Those poor beings... they wanted a hearty meal, only to get infected and turned into these monstrous zombies that you speak of. How terrible." said Angel sympathetically, her voice wavering a bit.

"At least now we stopped the disease while it was still in its infancy," Agon pressed on. "We saved the rest of this land by doing so. Now, everything I said was speculation, but one fact remains: those mushrooms **were** bad. Still can't wrap my mind on what they were doing there in the first place... and that undead train engineer, how was he able to conjure zombies from nowhere? I guess the infection varied depending on the host."

"I'm just glad this is over now," Angel interjected. "I can't say the train is in any form of shape at this point. I don't know how those people will react when they hear about this."

Agon let out a long sigh. He was equally vexed by this current situation.

"I do not think there were any other options. Clearing out the undead horde was the primary objective. Not sure what they plan to do about their beloved Excess Express, given its current condition."

The light-brown human stood up, stretching his body out from having sat down for a long while. Some of his joints snapped.

"We should head back and let that ticketmaster know. You holding out all right?" said Agon.

"I'm fine. Yes, let's get moving." replied Angel in great relief as she was happy to get away from this dying infestation full of countless dead corpses.

She gripped the little man's shoulders and teleported out of Riverside Station.

* * *

Once more, the duo was in the central plaza of the infamous Rogueport. It was night time as most of the people were nowhere to be seen, save for a few suspicious characters lurking among the alleyways. The little human and the tall hooded vixen walked their way through the western part of town, finding the Toad ticketmaster standing around on the platform. When he was informed of the situation, he was both horrified and incredulous.

"What's that? There were z – zombies inside the Excess Express train?! How could that be?!" he had said rather hysterically.

After telling him about the tainted mushrooms and the undead engineer, he nodded slowly; part of him was in honest disbelief that a horde of zombified creatures was created from eating bad food. His nervous movements and demeanor made it clear that he was terrified of the whole idea. He looked to both Agon and Angel, his eyes full of agitation.

"They're all gone now, right? The two of you took care of them all?"

"Rest assured, those hideous beings are wiped from this land." said Angel in an assuring voice.

"Very good... yes... uh, the other engineers aren't going to be happy about this... Still, it's done. Please take this as a token of my personal appreciation."

The ticketmaster gave the dark-brown eyed man a big footlocker. When he shook it, there were jingling noises coming from it that suggested currency. He opened the storage unit and saw a large amount of gold coins.

"Wow, how much is in here?" inquired Agon, speaking to the Toad in black.

"At least two-hundred or so. You've earned it." said the ticketmaster.

"Thank you. I wish you good luck in salvaging what's left of the Excess Express."

After all three bade each other farewell, Agon and Angel left the platform. They were walking around in west Rogueport without a defined direction. He thought about calling it for the night.

"I think I'll grab a quick bite to eat, then get some rest," stated Agon, rolling his shoulders back. "I'm gonna head for the Rogueport Inn. What will you do?"

"Do you even need to ask?" questioned Angel with an obvious look cast upon her face.

"No... I guess not. You're sure?"

His answer to that was being picked up and situated on her back. The Renamon paced through the town until reaching the local inn. Once they entered inside, they had a small meal consisting of chicken noodle soup with a side of rye and glasses of water. This cost a reasonable price of ten coins. The two of them headed for the bedroom upstairs after finishing their dinner, eager to sleep. Agon offered to cover the cost, which came to a total of fifteen coins. Not bad considering they had food and a place to stay.

The inside of the bedroom was decent, but nothing special. There were two beds with patched blankets and large pillows. A nightstand with a plain white cloth over it was in between, while a pail was placed in the middle to catch the occasional leaking of water from the rooftop. The room was interestingly spacious, considering its low cost (the actual stay was only five coins). Fairly clean windows were built into the walls, providing some sunlight in the day and a fine view at night.

"Hmm... not the best place to sleep in. I'm sorry about this." said Agon a bit ruefully.

"Oh, it's okay. As long as I'm with you, that's all that matters." replied Angel sweetly, placing her paws on his shoulders.

"Tell you what: I'll go out for the night. I want you to sleep well and I feel that my presence will only disrupt your slumber."

The young man started for the stairs leading to the first floor, but was quickly halted as the golden yellow fox ran in and blocked his way. She gently pushed him toward one of the beds.

"I don't think so. You're staying here with me and that's final. No more going off on your own." Angel declared in a firm tone.

"I'm just -"

"Shhh... I insist. Stay here with me. I want to keep you safe and warm."

"If you would -"

The slender kitsune covered his mouth with a paw, silencing him. A tiny smirk was forming on her lips as her blue eyes glinted mischievously.

"I don't mind, you know. Sleep with me." she whispered.

"But -"

"You can't win this Agon. Just give it up." continued Angel more quietly, wrapping her arms around him.

Blushing slightly, the small human eventually dropped it and nodded in resignation. He took off what was left of his armor vest and all of his weapons. They were placed on the nightstand, along with Angel's purple gloves, scarf, hood and blade. When he gazed upon her, she looked more natural and fascinating without the garments. The two of them got comfortable in the bed while they held each other affectionately.

"You see right through me every time. I like you Angel." said Agon as he grinned at the bare vixen.

"I like you too. I also enjoy cuddling you like a stuffed toy. You're my personal plushy." Angel replied in a friendly manner, bringing the bald-headed man closer to her chest. She closed her tail around him as well.

"Well, thank you. I really take great pleasure in hugging you as well. I think I'll be able to do this after all. You're so soft to the touch..."

"I knew you couldn't resist."

Agon chuckled wholeheartedly, caressing the fluffy snow-white mane. He enjoyed this excellent (and very affectionate) friendship between the two of them.

"You're right about that. Tomorrow, we'll go and see Hooktail. She should be back from her flight trip to wherever she and Gloomtail went off to."

He yawned sleepily while beginning to let his eyes slowly shut. The caring fox smiled at him, practically resting right on top of him. After Angel pulled the blanket over them, they nuzzled each other for a few minutes before falling into a slumber of tranquility.

**(Zombie infestation in this chapter. Now I'm really glad I turned Renamon [who is Angel now] into a fan character, because there would have been a load of unneeded stress and confusion otherwise. I've said it already, but I'm aware that the real one would not be like this at all. I also know from online research that Digimon are genderless, though Angel is female.) **

**(Well, I'll leave you to it then. I'm not sure why, but I really like the idea of an incredibly strong friendship in general, which is clearly evident in this story. Apologies.)**


	9. Closer than Before

**Closer than Before**

Six weeks have passed since the bald-headed human first befriended the sixty-foot female dragon, Hooktail. It seemed like such a long time ago, yet in reality, it would been over a month. He was still able to recall the big picture in his mind, when the impacting event had taken place in Hooktail Castle. This was what started the chain of events that got him to where he is now. The flashback in his head was powerfully vivid, like he himself was revisiting this influential memory. All of the voices even had that reflective echo expanding outward in all directions.

* * *

_"And you are...?"_ she had asked in regards to his identity.

_"Agon Archibald Peters. I'm here to see Hooktail, if she's here."_ he introduced to her.

_"You're looking at her. I'm Hooktail."_

The red dragoness had revealed her true motives after the Shadow Queen had fallen to Mario and his crew. Agon asked her some questions he was curious about, like where she had been hiding the entire time and whether she was still up to her old ways of lying and/or deceit. These were quickly answered and in this specific order.

_"For your first question, I was suspended on the ceiling, sleeping. Don't ask about that," _she threw in upon anticipating Agon's skeptical look._ "because I'm uncertain myself. To your second question, neither. I'm not that kind of dragon anymore, after my defeat against Mario. With the Shadow Queen gone, I'm just here in my chamber, keeping away from everything and everyone else."_

The young man remembered detecting her spiritless tone at the end.

_"How come?"_ inquired Agon, hearing his own echoing voice in his mind.

_"Well, let's just say that some time has passed after the events and that I have been alone here for a long time without anyone to talk to. You don't know what it's been like for me, here within the walls of this place in total isolation, nothing to do and no one around for company. I don't even have my brothers around because of that insidious plumber! No one has dared approached me since the fall of my mistress..."_

_"That's kind of why I'm here actually,"_ Agon broke in._ "I wanted to ask you something..."_

Yes... the real question he had wanted to ask Hooktail the most of all. During the initial meeting, he had been doubtful, uncertain, even frightened to say it. He was fully aware that she was still an enormous fire-breathing dragon that used to eat people and ravage the land, having particularly targeted Petalburg. Her reputation was not easy to forget.

_"I was wondering if you wanted to... you know... be friends? With me? I'll understand if you say no."_

With something like that, he felt Hooktail could have easily taken advantage, much like with the heroic plumber in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When the massive red dragon was on the verge of defeat, she attempted to fool Mario with the offers of a huge sum of coins, a really ultra rare badge only she had and of course, you could not forget that unorthodox bit about smelling her feet. The dragoness had even bragged about it, insisting that people paid good money to take a good whiff of those three-toed claws, all that in order to gain the upper hand. Having been paranoid at the time, the short man expected to be charred, eaten or stomped upon in a similar manner because of the laughable question; a dragon like her was likely beneath a puny human such as him.

_"Of course, little human. I'd love that very much."_ she had said truthfully, her voice sounding rather uncharacteristically sincere.

_"Oh, wow. Really? Are you sure you're not attempting to fool me? Like you tried to do with the 1 000 coins, the rare badge and the offer to smell your feet?"_ said Agon, quite taken back by her eager acceptance.

_"I forgot about those old tricks of mine, but in all seriousness, I **do** mean it. I think I would genuinely like to be friends with you. You're the first to approach me about the possibilities of bonding."_

* * *

Hooktail's answer had thrown him off completely: he assumed that he may have just been extremely lucky. On the other hand, she had been anxious and earnest to make this peculiar friendship work. Even though Agon was awestruck by this, he was nonetheless overjoyed that she was willing to take in him as a companion. To think it had all started with that...

And then there was the matter of her living brother. Hooktail presumed that Gloomtail had died against the red-suited plumber, but Agon countered that he probably survived. If she was alive, so was he. This was when the small man volunteered to go look for him in the Palace of Shadow. Sure, it had been a foolhardy and over adventurous mission, but he wanted to do this for the crimson dragoness. Anything to strengthen the relations between them. It had literally cost him his life searching and reuniting Gloomtail with his young sister.

Following his death, he had also encountered and quickly befriended a digital being known as Angel the Renamon, who revived him from the dead using an artifact with resurrection properties. Finally, Agon asked the fox Digimon about how she brought him back. She had obtained this special item (an Ankh) from a chest somewhere in a faraway land during her times as a lone wolf: Angel was unable to recall the exact location since it had been such a long time ago. Agon had once been a total stranger to the kitsune, as he constantly reminded her that she could have left him for dead. He received a similarly heartfelt answer every time this was brought up.

_"I wouldn't be at peace knowing that I turned my back on you. We may have not known each other at all during the time, but I just couldn't let you die."_ she said to him, her blue eyes gazing upon him sadly.

While Agon eventually curbed his unnecessary paranoia for the most part, he still had a bit of trouble realizing that Angel cared for him deeply. Overtime, they had grown closer than ever: she was a chimera with personality traits considered to be motherly, sisterly and friendly, all at the same time. This coincided with the yellow vixen's transformation into Magimon as her dark robed presence seemed to cast an assuring and protective aura around her. He was relieved rather than intimidated by the mystical attire and stern facial features since he knew what was really behind the stark identity. That said, she had remained with him since they first met: an unbreakable bond between the human and the fox had formed. Wherever Agon went, Angel followed. To him, this was the true definition of friendship.

'_Like a literal guardian angel; kind, devoted, and maternal... and she's also very affectionate, much more than anyone I've ever met back on Earth,_' thought Agon, who was relentlessly ecstatic. '_It's awesome that she has gotten along very well with Hooktail, Gloomtail and I. We've really gone far._'

The twenty-six year old had been in this fictional world long enough to say that he no longer wished to go back to Earth. Given that the two dragons and this caring Digimon were his close friends now, he wouldn't want to leave them. Though his family was decent and had raised him like any other child, there was something about actually being in the fictional world that made him feel welcome, at home even. This was an imaginative reality that came to fruition and the young man thanked his mother, the engineer, for building that dimensional gateway. In a way, she had inadvertently granted him a splendid wish he thought would only stay as a dream.

'_I think I'll just stay in this world instead of going back to my homeland. Besides, I really like it here._'

* * *

Agon was in the grassy plains of Petal Meadows, sitting down underneath a thick tree with full-grown leaves that resembled a piece of broccoli. Like any other day in this region, the warm sun shone with impunity among the few puffs of clouds and the open blue sky. The weather was mild as a gentle breeze permeated throughout the lush fields. A fair distance away, Hooktail Castle was present among the rolling hills with flowers in the background. The whole scene was quiet and peaceful on this fine afternoon: no pesky enemies were seen anywhere in this area.

He had taken off his green armor plate and helmet, along with his inventory of weapons. He inspected his one-handed chaingun, which, along with the new set of armor, was obtained from Garf, the brother of Gus. He was also a member of the Robbo Gang operating in east Rogueport.

While Agon was wandering around in their turf, Gus the Craw told him about his brother's arms dealing business. This was because during a part of the last six weeks, the little human and the vixen warrior had lent a hand in aiding the Robbo Gang in their rivalry against Don Pianta's Mafia. Before they interfered, the gang warfare was evenly-matched: now, Ishnail and his group ruled both the west and the east, effectively running the town.

Agon and Angel were both named honorary members of the Robbo Gang for their assistance. Following the takeover, Ishnail dedicated his new prime directive toward peacekeeping, a fact that had done more than shock his own crew and the general public. Since then, most people lived and worked in better conditions, although the crime-infected Rogueport wasn't an ideal place for authority. It was surreal because Ishnail had actually been serious about all this; while criminals and bandits still ran amok, they were dealt with if citizens and travelers were troubled by the same thugs. When Agon briefly asked about his sudden change of heart, the leader of the Robbos told him this intriguing tidbit:

_"I'll be totally honest: I've always cared about my own crew. We were all like a small family. The life of being tough guys wasn't what you thought it to be. A place like Rogueport, you wouldn't expect a boss like me to have a soft heart inside, but the reason we muscled our way in the east side was because of that guido punk, Don Pianta. Not like we had much of a choice..."_

Agon had heard the pure anger and hatred from the way he uttered the mafioso's name.

_"That so-called 'Don of Untimely Death' was the real threat around here... If you wanted to compare gangs, we're practically tame,"_ continued the snail-like creature with a slight edge in his voice. _"But thanks to you and that foxy friend of yours, we can move on now. As a way to say thanks, the both of you will always be welcome in our eyes. I consider you honorary members of my modest crew."_

Indeed, this was something that the twenty-six year old had difficulty taking in; the gang leader having a sense of honor and decency? In the video game, Ishnail was more or less characterized to be just as bad as Don Pianta himself and the condition of his turf did nothing to eradicate that fact. Nevertheless, Agon added that he had preferred the Robbos over the Pianta crime syndicate, which earned him a bonus nod of approval and claps on the back by the Craws (Gus, Garf and Goose). He had learned that this time, looks **were** deceiving.

_"Hey, I may be rough on the edges, but I'm a pretty rad dude overall."_ Ishnail pointed out with a small smile, tilting his specs downwards.

As the short man now focused on recollecting his thoughts, he failed to notice a certain golden fox in her rookie form hiding in the treetop. She jumped down silently and sat next to him. When Angel placed her hooded head against his left shoulder, Agon jolted violently.

"What the...? How did you get here? You scared me!" he blurted out, his heart beating rapidly for a moment.

"It's only me," said Angel as she giggled playfully. "You're so jumpy sometimes..."

"Well, I can't help it if you sneak up on me like a special operative. Not to mention I never seem to hear your footsteps until you're right next to me. You move weightlessly: as light as air and as fluid as sea water."

"That's always been something I was proficient in: sudden appearances." responded the rookie Digimon with a smirk.

Agon shrugged his shoulders dismissively in an 'oh well' motion.

"It's all good, don't worry about it. What's going on?" he said while petting her head.

"I just wanted to be with you, my cute little human..."

Angel wrapped her arms around his body, causing him to blush a fair bit. Without hesitation, the young man hugged the yellow kitsune back.

"That's very kind of you," exclaimed Agon, beaming at her. "I'm so happy our friendship has grown stronger than ever. We have this nearly invulnerable bond between us that can't be severed."

He let out a deep sigh of appreciation.

"You are my best friend." he stated, very gently tackling the vixen onto the soft grass.

"And you as well. I'll never leave you alone. Wherever you go, I go." Angel answered with admiration and loyalty for the man. She nuzzled his nose with her own while still holding him.

They said nothing more, clearly jubilant to enjoy the company of each other. All was peaceful in the Petal Meadows as Agon stared at his guardian angel of light with a tender look in his eyes. She gazed back lovingly, equally euphoric for him and him alone. The two of them continued to hold each other in a protective and affection manner. After a half hour had sprinted by, he slowly stood up, equipping his entire inventory.

"Let's go see Hooktail now. Of course, I don't mind going by myself." said Agon as he began to walk toward the huge fortification among the hills.

Angel stopped him in his tracks by clasping her purple-sleeved paws on his shoulders. She closed her fleece-like tail around his midsection, coiling like that of a friendly snake. The little human grinned at her, expecting this.

"You know you didn't mean that," remarked the hooded fox humorously, addressing the second half of his sentence. "I don't think I could imagine you all alone at this point."

He laughed merrily as they proceeded to the outside areas of Hooktail Castle: rather than instantly teleport there, Agon wanted to give Angel a piggyback ride. It had taken a few attempts before he managed to lift her onto his back due to his small stature and her tall height, which was about 6'7 after having asked her about that. When the duo arrived at their destination, Agon had broken into a hot sweat as his face was beet-red from the effort. Thankfully, the distance between Petal Meadows and the castle was fairly short.

"See, that's why I'm the one carrying you," commented Angel upon seeing her short friend panting heavily. "The height difference alone made it difficult for you to lift me."

"I knew that, but I **wanted** to do it. Besides, I needed the exercise. Still didn't think you were actually that tall though." said Agon, removing his helmet to wipe the perspiration from his forehead.

"It was a nice gesture from you," she said while grinning warmly at him. "Not all Renamons are at this height, because I've seen and fought against those that were below six feet. That said, I'm a gentle giantess who also happens to be your close friend."

Agon nodded eagerly: that fact, repeated from time to time, was certainly true to her benign personality.

"And I thank you for that. Does it also mean there's more of you to love?"

He had received his answer when Angel gazed at him fondly with her celestial blue eyes. It meant 'yes' for sure. As they kept conversing with each other, the sixty-foot dragoness (who had been perched on top of Hooktail Castle) landed a few feet away from them on an open area of grass. She walked toward the human and the golden vixen, greeting them.

"Hi there, how are you today?" asked Hooktail, looking at the both of them with emerald eyes.

"Doing well, and you?" replied Angel.

"Same as before: a bit boring, but feeling liberated." Then, addressing the twenty-six year old, she said reminiscently, "I still haven't forgotten the day that you met and befriended me Agon."

The bald-headed man crossed his arms in thought, uttering noises of acknowledgment.

"Yeah, I've just been thinking about that earlier," Agon pointed out. "about how I'm lucky to have you, your brother Gloomtail and Angel as companions. It's a dream come true for me. I must admit, I was mentally terrified when I first saw you."

"I can't blame you. Considering that I was a pet of the Shadow Queen who used to eat other beings and lie in order to survive, you were right to be on edge. Here we are though, speaking with each other on great terms. I'm really happy that you came here to be my friend."

"I couldn't agree more. When you said yes, I was tremendously overwhelmed. It didn't seem so on the exterior, but believe me, I had stupefaction written on my face." He wore a curious look that mingled with his composure and said, "Even though several weeks went by since that meeting, I still wonder why you didn't simply choose to deceive and then eat me up. You know you could have."

The female red dragoness peered at the tiny human, her green eyes friendly and inviting. She moved closer to him and lightly pressed her large snout against him.

"Your request was quite innocent. I couldn't decline your offer, seeing that you were the first to approach me in terms of friendship. No one else would have even considered the very idea. If you had been Mario instead, then things would have turned out differently."

"Well, you're right about all that." agreed Agon, embracing Hooktail wholeheartedly.

"And you also have me," added in Angel, who was once again hugging him from behind. "We're here for you."

The twenty-six year old man shut his eyes in total appreciation of the dragoness and the vixen. Now he was definitely certain that his desire to go home was just about erased from his mind. He had everything he wanted right here: Angel and Hooktail.

Gloomtail, who had been planted on the rooftop of Hooktail's chamber, witnessed the entire scene. He wore an expression of content, pleased to see that the tiny human was treating his young sister really well. His usually fearsome red eyes glimmered with mirthfulness.

'_You have been so kind and considerate to my baby sibling... I'm glad that she has a close friend with her now. I hope that this relationship continues to grow strong in the future. Agon and Angel... I trust the both of you._'

**(There's a time gap in this one because I wanted to move the plot along. I'm sure you've figured out a pattern here by now. Basically, two-thirds of this chapter consists of flashbacks, of which a few events are also throwbacks to my other stories involving Hooktail, Gloomtail and my characters. The whole thing with Ishnail is indeed far-fetched, yet I prefer the Robbo Gang over the Pianta Mafia. Him being a nice guy inside, let alone a criminal vigilante is my personal interpretation, but you're allowed to disagree with me on that.)**

**(Anyway, I'll be taking my leave. Goodbye for now, fellow readers.)**


	10. Watchful Eyes

**Watchful Eyes**

**Objective:** Discover the hidden secret(s).

**Location:** Poshley Sanctum in the wealthy town of Poshley Heights.

**Briefing:** If you're interested in finding obscure artifacts and/or treasure, this may be a challenge worth undertaking. It's quite simple: find any type of concealment somewhere within the building. Whatever you find, you may keep it. I'll leave you to figure things out on your own.

**(Poster – Pennington, *Detective Extraordinaire and Curator*)**

You need only notify me that you have accepted this quest of the mind, nothing else. Good luck!

* * *

"I'm going for it," said Agon as he showed the paper to both Angel and Hooktail. "Doesn't sound like there will be much action, but what the hell."

He had just come back from Rogueport to the usual place, which was outside of Hooktail Castle. Agon, Angel and the two Tail dragons had agreed a while back that this area was their hangout; they were congregated around the fortification about ninety-five percent of the time. He had undertaken another mission from the currently operating Trouble Center. Unlike most of the others, this one didn't seem to involve any form of fighting as far as he knew.

"A quest of mystery, hmm? I wonder what you'll find..." commented the female crimson dragon, wearing a look of slight curiosity.

The 6'7 Renamon studied the small poster intently. After a moment, she gave the paper back to Agon, who pocketed it safely.

"I should be all right on my own this time. Angel, you've been accompanying me wherever I went off to, but I'd like to do this one by myself."

"Are you certain? I have no problems going with you." said the golden fox with a small touch of concern.

"Yeah, I'm feeling confident about this particular one," replied Agon, nodding to his close friend. "I can take care of myself if there's gonna be trouble, especially with the gear I have now."

He displayed the chaingun in his right hand: a lengthy ammo belt was wrapped around his respective arm, fed into the weapon itself. He was also wearing his green armor plate and helmet.

"Besides, I'd like you to keep Hooktail company while I'm gone. It could take a long while." he added as he glanced at the cherry-red dragoness.

Angel pondered for several long moments while gazing at Agon with blue eyes that were both mellow and anxious. Finally, she crossed her arms and nodded approvingly.

"Very well Agon, I trust that you won't get too crazy out there. Be mindful of your situation. Remember, if you're in danger, I'll come and assist you."

"I agree with Angel, especially after the fact that you died while searching for my brother. While I'm overwhelmed that you found Gloomtail, there was no need to throw your life away like that. It was both valiant and rather careless of you..." added Hooktail as her voice trailed off, appreciative and a bit distressed at the same time.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be back." Agon said to Angel with a grin. Turning to face the enormous dragoness, he explained somewhat ashamedly, "Yeah... the dying part wasn't exactly part of the plan, but I wanted to make you happy by reuniting you with your brother. You didn't deserve to be taken away from Gloomtail like that..."

With a sympathetic nod to Hooktail, the twenty-six year old human turned away and began moving back to Rogueport. He only took a handful of steps before Hooktail placed a foot in front of him, halting his progress. When Agon faced her, he saw the warm glare in her eyes and a tender smile aimed for him.

"I'll never forget it, my human friend. I'm thrilled that you've brought my brother back to the surface with me, but I care for you too. Please don't endanger yourself recklessly because you've done more than enough for me. You've definitely proven that you **are** my friend. Thank you."

She hesitated for a few seconds before taking the next action. When she spoke again, her voice was faint with undertones of adoration.

"...I've never done this before, but you deserve it."

Agon merely looked at Hooktail with sincere confusion and wonder. His soon-to-be-asked question was immediately answered when the red dragoness leaned in and gently kissed him. It wasn't simply a quick touch or peck, but one of those long smooches that kept contact with the skin (or his entire figure in this situation) for several seconds. After she stepped back, the little human was beyond incapable of all speech. He now donned an indecipherable expression on his unreadable face: overpowering astonishment and stupefaction had possessed him. Was this really the same Hooktail from the video game? It couldn't be... and yet, this just happened.

The twenty-six year old made an involuntary gesture, not to run away, but to reciprocate this action. His fractional movement was not missed by the huge female dragon as she leaned in close again. Her green-tinted eyes peered over him with genuine encouragement.

Without saying a single word, Agon kissed her on the snout. When the exchange of affection was finally concluded, he beamed at her; it had started out indescribable, which then slowly built up into a broad smile of endearment.

"First Angel, now you? What a dream come true..." he commented quietly with a pinkish hue on his face cheeks. After an unnecessary moment of silence, he left the plains of Hooktail Castle.

The Renamon herself had witnessed this entire scene, evident by her greatly amused and profound expression on her character. She trooped over to Hooktail, who was also blushing from the human's action.

"That's kind of how Agon reacted when I first kissed him," remarked Angel as she was grinning widely. "That man may be cool outside, but he is practically an erupting volcano when the affection rolls in."

"I've never seen him so utterly shocked before. It's like he's never been kissed by a sixty foot dragoness before." answered Hooktail.

"He also didn't think you would actually accept his offer of friendship to begin with. From what you told me before, there was a chance that you would have simply gobbled him up like a tasty snack. Nothing prevented you from doing so."

The sisterly dragon shook her head in disagreement.

"If the Shadow Queen was still alive, then I **would** have unwillingly eaten him. He seemed like such a curious being when I found him in my castle. You should have seen Agon, he was very nervous, yet determined to be my friend. Not only did he free me from my eternal loneliness, he also found my long-lost brother Gloomtail. Those honorable actions were enough reason not to bother using my underhanded tactics against him."

Through the dark purple hood and scarf, Angel had a look of undisguised happiness on her. The frigid blue eyes radiated a high level of enthusiasm.

"He likes us both. I like him." she stated.

"And I am very fond of him as well. You're also very pleasant to be around with, don't think I have forgotten about your sweet personality. Thanks to the both of you, I know what it's really like to have friends for the first time in my life." said Hooktail with an elated mentality, giving out a friendly smile to Angel, who also smiled back.

The yellow vixen placed a paw on the side of the dragon's head. She caressed it as Hooktail closed her eyes in content, relaxed by her soothing touch. Gloomtail, who had still been perched on top of Hooktail Castle, nodded to himself. From his look of approval, he was satisfied with everything that he had just seen. He remained in his spot for a savoring moment before taking flight into the kindly blue skyline above. No clouds were present as the golden yellow sunlight dispersed all over the Petalburg region. It was a wonderful late afternoon.

* * *

Somewhere in a far distance within the area, there were two Koopa Troopas dressed in full black robes. Their shells were either black or different shades of gray. They were concealed by a clump of thick bushes and a large brown rock (and also due to their partial invisibility), their sights focused upon Hooktail thanks to their cybernetic eyes. Hidden beneath their cloaks were blaster pistols with scopes attached to a belt.

"...Is that her right there?" one of them asked, pointing toward the red dragoness. His artificial irises glinted a bright green light.

"Sure looks like the one he described..." muttered the other turtle as his mechanical implants flashed an eerie blue. "It's got bold red scales and a yellow underbelly, plus she's also at least fifty feet or more in size. There's also that tail of hers with hooks at the ends."

They were quiet for a short amount of time before the blue-eyed cyber spoke up again.

"Yes... that's definitely her." he stated after double-checking.

"What do we do now? Terminate the target?" his accomplice questioned, taking out his sidearm from the dark cloth.

"Not yet," the nearly identical Koopa replied as he held a hand, telling him to holster his weapon. "For now, we are to keep an eye on the dragoness."

As the green-eyed Koopa stood down at ease, he wore an expression of curiosity. He turned to his companion and asked him about their directive. Judging by the annoyed sigh, the question had been brought up more than once.

"I've already informed you a couple of times now, we've been paid by our contact to find and eliminate the target." reminded the blue cyber merc as he shook his head in exasperation.

"What's he got against her though? This Hooktail creature doesn't look so frightening at all. In fact, she's kinda cute... You see those eyelashes?"

"You have a thing for her or something? Come on, stay on the job! He made it clear: destroy the female dragon."

The green-eyed mercenary shrugged his shoulders defensively before donning a deadpan look within the pitch-black hood.

"All right, all right! I'm just saying..."

"Aw, shut up and get back to it. I'm gonna alert the other boys in the meantime, **don't** lose her."

His blue-eyed accomplice left the scene, leaving the remaining Koopa merc to continue spying on the massive red dragon. He performed a systematic sweep of the plains: his green irises pulsed and flickered rapidly, like a computer application working in the background.

"...who is that with her...?" the lone reptilian murmured inaudibly.

He had just noticed Angel, who was currently chatting with Hooktail. His vision was magnified in order to get more information on the yellow kitsune. Through the cybernetic contacts, there were various bits of data, such as heartbeat rate, hostility levels, weapon availability (armed/unarmed), basic emotional states, body structure, type of species, those kinds of technical information. The online screen matched the color of his mechanical irises.

"What's a Digimon?" the green-eyed Koopa said in a low voice of wonder. "Is she friends with the dragoness? Hmm..."

In the present time, both Angel and Hooktail were unaware that they were being spied upon. The robed Koopa was situated in a well-concealed area while his partial invisibility kept him out of direct sight. Though the distance between them was somewhere less than fifty meters away, he was hidden.

"She's pretty," the shadowy merc commented, letting a tiny smile sneak onto his lips. "I wonder what this fox-like creature's name is... I don't recall the contact mentioning a Digimon in the directive though, whatever that may be."

He suddenly wore an out-of-place look of ruefulness, which was hard to detect because of the deep black hood.

"Both of them don't look like hostile beings. They seem to be getting along well from what I can see. I don't know if I could bring myself to kill either of them, but the money from this job... aaaagh..."

The green-eyed cyber struggled with his emotions for a rather long moment before returning to his task at hand.

* * *

Agon was on board the Excess Express, heading to its destination of Poshley Heights. It was amazing that this train was fully operational once more, given the vast undead horde that had once been in here. The cleanup crew and the secondary staff really had committed to clearing out all decaying remnants of zombies, whether limbs, arms, eyeballs, heads, torsos or anything of that nature. Even the hefty amounts of blood had been completely wiped of its existence. Everything here was back to its normal state.

He resided inside cabin 002; the young man was playing a video game called Doom on PS1. For some peculiar reason, he had found it inside the drawer in good condition. Whoever owned this copy probably forgot it as he or she left the train. He was at present trying to get through the last level of Knee-Deep in the Dead. While the two Barons of Hell were nothing compared to his past experiences with TNT Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment (really tough by the way), it was no excuse to get careless. Agon had the difficulty set to Ultra-Violence.

"Love this game," said Agon to himself as he concentrated his efforts on annihilating the Barons of Hell, making use of a chaingun. "There's something about charging headlong into the endless hordes of Hell's demons that's incredibly satisfying. Just imagine holding a shotgun in your hands and blasting every single thing in your way. Yes indeed... that's mindlessly entertaining."

He finished the rest of the episode with relative ease. As he was turning off the console to take a little break, one of the staff members of the Excess Express entered his cabin. This one was a Toad wearing a dark gray coat with brown shoes and a plain black mushroom cap.

"Excuse me sir, are you Agon?" he asked, his voice coming out medium-deep and gruff.

"Yeah, what do you want?" the young human responded with a raised eyebrow.

"The engineer wants to see you."

"What for? Do you know?"

The nameless employee shrugged his shoulders apathetically while uttering his reply.

"Fine, I'm going now." answered Agon shortly as he made his way to the engine car.

It was only a hallway's distance from his cabin, so the trip was virtually non-existent. He opened the sliding door leading to the front car: a Toad wearing a black engineer's hat, matching coat, white gloves and brown shoes was there. He was a replacement of the last train engineer that had been zombified by the poison shrooms from the kitchen pantry. As Agon casually walked over to the Toad, he cleared his throat.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, yes," the Excess Express engineer said with a look of anticipation on him. "I have something to ask of you and I think you'll be able to help."

"Go ahead." acknowledged Agon while gesturing openly with his right hand.

"Well I -" began the engineer, but was quickly interrupted as another crew member burst into the room. He was panting a bit while his eyes looked panic-stricken.

"Hey, there's a robbery going on in the restaurant car! We gotta do something about that!"

The Toad engineer turned to face the worker with a stern glare.

"You mean a train robbery? Great... that's just what we need now... Was anyone in the restaurant section before you ran in here?"

"Almost everyone, and none of them are capable of defending themselves. The suspect has a firearm while we got nothing! What do we do?!" shouted the employee hysterically.

"How should I know?" said the engineer angrily as he threw his arms up in agitation. "I'm a train operator, not a police officer!"

With an equally annoyed expression, the green armored human interfered in their argument. He was motioning the two Toads to simmer down.

"Will both of you just shut up? I'll handle this one." stated Agon before dashing out of the engine car, his chaingun being held in his right hand.

He ran through the first and second passenger cars with haste and arrived at his destination.

There were several passengers of different species laying down stomach-first on the floor; all had similar expressions of helplessness. With arms over their heads, they were cowering and unwilling to make a single move, as though a gun was being waved around. This became true as a dinosaur-like train robber stood menacingly in the center of the crowd. The suspect was a female orange Yoshi dressed in a leather vest, steel toe boots and a skull mask. She held a magnum in her left hand while also having a Koopa Troopa captive in the other. As soon as Agon stepped forward, the robber fired a shot in front of his feet. He froze for a brief moment as he aimed his chaingun at her.

"You best stay where you are. Unless you want this guy here dead, you'll do what I say." she demanded, frowning at the little man.

'_Damnit... a hostage,_' thought Agon as he cursed to himself. '_Hold up, that Koopa looks familiar..._'

He quickly studied the turtle being held hostage: a baby blue sweater with a hood, blue jeans, white sneakers, a green shell and a band-aid on his nose... It was Koops, the one from Petalburg. Agon remembered talking to him briefly during his escapade into Shhwonk Fortress. He saw the terrified expression through the beaten face and blackened eye. His clothes were ruffled, as though someone had grabbed and thrown him around. A drop of blood from the left corner of his bruised mouth made its way to the decorated floor.

Again, Agon tried to move in only to be stopped by the orange Yoshi pointing her magnum at Koops' head.

"What the hell did I just say now?! Stay where you are or the kid here gets it good!" she roared while her finger was rhythmically moving back and forth toward the trigger.

With an angry look upon his face, Agon reluctantly obeyed. He continued to train his weapon toward the train robber. The masked dinosaur cackled madly.

"You tryin' to be a hero or something? This doesn't concern you one bit! Turn around and walk away now like a good little man, because you can't handle me." Her voice was filled with borderline taunting and mockery. The Yoshi's eyes were glaring at the short human with vindictiveness as her mouth curled up into a cruel smile.

Agon grit his teeth together, now infuriated and thirsty for a showdown. He clenched his hand on the grip of his chaingun. It became nearly impossible to resist opening fire at the orange Yoshi for two reasons: she was playing mind games with him and she also held an innocent character at gunpoint. Because of that, he was unable to act as Koops could easily be caught in the crossfire.

As the two of them faced off, the crowd silently watched with frightened curiosity. No one made a single noise: no coughs, drawn in breaths, sighs, crying, gasps of terror or even any shuffling. Time itself had stopped.

**(And here it is, another chapter good to go. If this doesn't prove my fondness toward Hooktail, nothing will. More to come real soon.)**


	11. Imminent Destruction

**Imminent Destruction**

1... 2... 3... 4... 5...

Every second in the figurative clock ticked ever so slowly, with its monotonous sound like a metronome. No one moved: the public crowd, the train robber, the hostage Koops nor the short human. It was extremely tense and as fragile as a proximity bomb, for the slightest movement could set off the resulting explosion that would break the early evening skies. What could Agon do? There was no way of taking out the thuggish Yoshi without harming Koops in the process.

His dark-brown irises met the train robber's own belligerent eyes. She had an expression of savage cruelty as she continued to hold the gun aimed for the timid reptilian's head. Agon kept his chaingun trained at the masked dinosaur, waiting for something, anything to happen. All remained soundless as the situation grew even more volatile. Surely, this was the climax that warranted an interference...

"YOU GET AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND, YOU BASTARD!" yelled out a shrieking voice that caught everyone completely off-guard.

This was it.

Before the orange Yoshi had time to react, a female Koopa Troopa with citrine hair by the name of Koopie Koo charged from behind and grabbed the robber's neck. This sudden action forced the dinosaur-like creature to drop the magnum and release Koops, who had sprinted out of harm's way. While the two women wrestled each other, Agon moved in and picked up the magnum with his left hand. He pointed both weapons at the train robber.

"Don't move, bandit!" said Agon loudly as Koopie Koo and the orange Yoshi stopped, both putting their hands up.

"Not you," he addressed the female Koopa. "Just this thief here."

He waved her off while still making eye contact with the masked dinosaur. Meanwhile, Koopie Koo ran over to Koops and gave him a crushing bear hug. Agon's facial expression was that of grim pleasure as he approached the robber, who was now unarmed and afraid. She gave him a nervous grin while trying to talk her way out of this backfired situation.

"Eheheheheh... you wouldn't hurt someone without a weapon right? I – I was just playin' with you when I said you couldn't handle me. It's a little joke, yes?"

Her only response was a physical one: Agon spun around and smashed the side of her head, using the chaingun as a melee weapon. With a hard thud, the Yoshi robber dropped down on the floor and became unconscious. A part of her skull mask was punched open. He shook his head without pity as he spat on her body.

"Hey... I've seen you before..." blurted out Koops as he walked over to the armed human, rubbing his bruised eye. "You were on your way to Shhwonk Fortress weeks ago, right?"

Agon simply nodded in confirmation while holstering his guns.

"Uh, your name was Agon?"

Again, the light-brown skinned man nodded.

"Thanks for saving me. I would have been dead if you haven't arrived."

"Well, I wasn't the only one..." admitted Agon, glancing toward Koopie Koo.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to get involved," she said, scratching her head sheepishly. "It's just that I woke up from my nap and I saw that Koops wasn't there. I figured that he went to get something to eat, so I got here and found him being held at gunpoint. Seeing him in danger makes my blood boil like you wouldn't believe it..."

The twenty-six year old raised his hands in anticipation. He already detected the incoming fury that bordered her shrill voice.

"No no, I believe you. The way you broke the dead silence with your colorful words, that was enough. Actually, you helped me defuse a hostage situation, so you deserve some credit." he said with a small grin.

"Yeah... I guess so. Thanks for rescuing my boyfriend." replied the female Koopa as she folded her arms, a proud look on her.

Now facing Koops, she had an unreadable expression which was actually a mixture of anger and worry. Koopie Koo's tone became reproachful when she spoke to her boyfriend. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared down at him.

"Don't you **ever** scare me like that again. Who knows what would have happened if this guy here hadn't arrived? I would have gotten shot and so would you. You stupid idiot!"

"I didn't mean to," responded the shy Koopa quietly. "That Yoshi just came out of nowhere and started shooting up the place. She picked on me because of my easily-scared nature I guess..."

"You know when you left me to go fight Hooktail, I was willing to accept that. You wanted to avenge your father and save the town. That was fine, but this? You could have woken me up at least."

"I'm not a child anymore. You could at least lighten up on me..." shot back Koops in a defensive tone.

The small man stood there awkwardly, eavesdropping in their conversation. He tried to wave at the two bickering turtles to get their attention. Nothing.

"Well, I'll leave the two of you then." muttered Agon before picking up, or more like dragging out the non-moving orange Yoshi.

Both Koopie Koo and Koops ignored this as their heated conversation escalated into a verbal fight. She scolded him for getting into unnecessary trouble while the male counterpart rebuked that he never expected someone to take out a gun and hold the entire train captive. They were like a married couple: even though their relationship wasn't that far in, they sure acted the part convincingly well. The passengers got up and, thanking the young man for dealing with the stick-up, returned to their normal activities. Most of them pretended to have not heard the ongoing argument while a few interested beings stared at them, mentally hoping for a physical scuffle to break out.

After Agon tossed the train robber out of the train, he went to the train car and asked the engineer about the duration of the ride. Having been told that instead of the typical three days, it would take until the end of tomorrow to get to Poshley Heights. This was because the Excess Express had been recently upgraded to a bullet train. The new fact had enjoyably surprised him; he would be able to get the mission done a lot faster.

He returned to cabin 002 and looked out the window. The sky was a combined streak of yellow, orange and red, the blazing sun still visible from the southern edge. Many large clouds floated above without a care as the background was an ongoing series of silhouettes. Night was sluggish to approach, though in an indifferent manner. With the train moving at an increasingly fast pace, the outside scenery seemed to be a fervid blur of warm light. Although the burst of speed would have normally made it difficult to relax, the engineers had done well in stabilizing the Excess Express while minimizing the chance of motion sickness.

Mentally commenting that this evening appeared to be a colorful, yet serene picture, he turned on the PS1 and resumed his session of Doom; he selected The Shores of Hell, the second episode. Once again, it was set to Ultra-Violence.

* * *

Hooktail was currently in the Petal Meadows, taking a leisurely stroll. The female red dragon basked in the constantly mild climate of this area as the fading sunset shone with finality. Several hues of crimson, amber yellow and deep orange blended together to form an autumn styled aura. She was alone this time because Angel had accepted a task from the Trouble Center. The yellow vixen was currently in the Boggly Woods, searching for missing or lost people within the remote forest. The black dragon Gloomtail preoccupied himself by flying into the skies for the night, giving her sister some time to enjoy her solitude.

'_Such a quiet atmosphere in these plains,_' thought Hooktail while looking around. '_This is what it's like to truly appreciate the great outdoors... Better than being stuck in my castle doing nothing for an eternity, or at least a few more hundred years._'

She continued wandering around for minutes before settling herself on a large open area of shortly-cut grass. Her eyes were half-closed while letting out a big gaping yawn. Slowly, but surely, the dragoness had gotten comfortable. She wasn't fully asleep yet as her thoughts shifted to what things had been like during the awakening of the Shadow Queen, long before Agon met her.

'_The Shadow Queen... she created us and we were once her loyal pets. Gloomtail, Bonetail and I, we were the Tail trio. I have only gotten to see both of my brothers once before the mistress sundered us apart. I was assigned to Hooktail Castle, my middle-aged sibling within the Palace of Shadow and the oldest brother deep in the Pit of 100 Trials._'

Hooktail's face became thoughtful as her emerald eyes stared into the darkening blanket of reddish-orange light.

'_The plumber in the red hat and blue overalls defeated us all. My remaining brother and I survived, but the oldest sibling had been long dead thanks to the Shadow Queen's total negligence and ignorance of his well-being. She never cared for any of us, instead only seeking to dominate the world and gain absolute power for herself. Vanquished and sealed away for good... she deserved it. We were merely used as tools and nothing else._'

The sixty foot dragoness continued to mull over her past, now taking on a more bitter and resentful offensive. It seemed to have been an awfully long time since she reflected upon her former life.

'_The corruption was too strong for any of us to repel. We were unable to fight her evil influence. Our mistress sought to get rid of us once her plans were complete. She kept us all imprisoned in guard duty until the heroes arrived and in a way, freed us from her unmerciful grasp. May you forever rest in peace, Bonetail... The damage may have been committed, but at least we no longer have to listen and obey the whims of the so-called Shadow Queen. She was a nefarious being that would gladly manipulate the lesser mind and turn against her own 'allies', especially those loyal to her. Compared to her, she makes me seem like a good Samaritan._'

These mental ramblings kept Hooktail up for the next several minutes. It was now clear that she despised and outright loathed her own ruler: the very thought of this easily put her in a hurried state of strong animosity directed at the dark omniscient being.

During the time, she had been dedicated in carrying out the Shadow Queen's plans, which was guarding the Diamond Star in Hooktail's situation. The female dragon had an evil personality that coexisted with her dreaded reputation for terrorizing the Petalburg region. Anyone that made efforts to slay her was devoured whole, including Old Man Skoo, Kolorado's father and Koopley, the father of Koops. Now, she felt heavy guilt for her villainous actions, but back then, there hadn't been such a thing as remorse or goodness in her cold heart. Hooktail had only cared for her own self, which was proven by her attempts to fool Mario with made-up offers in the video game when defeat was inevitable.

Here she was, a formerly ruthless beast that happened to be close friends with a little human and a tall fox warrior of different abilities. Hooktail had them and her older sibling Gloomtail and she couldn't be any happier. There **was** redemption in someone like her after all. Free of the Shadow Queen, she had her own individual life in which Agon had played a major part on. She smiled inwardly at the thought of the dark-brown eyed human: he was the prime reason Hooktail was here at this present moment. Feeling reassured, the gigantic dragoness fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

A short distance away, the same black robed Koopa skulked behind a large tree with a weathered trunk. Unless up close and looking directly at him, one was unable to see him. It also didn't help that nightfall was starting to creep its way in. His mechanical apple green eyes surveyed the area for anyone else in the vicinity.

"I wonder where that slender fox creature went off to? Don't see anyone besides Hooktail here," said the cybernetic reptilian quietly. "I think she's asleep..."

Feeling unusually daredevil-like, he crouched and carefully walked toward the snoozing dragoness. The green-eyed Koopa felt very nervous, perhaps even terrified about why he was doing this. It was likely on pure impulse. He remembered that his task was to keep an eye on her; he was technically still on the job. When the lone merc got right in front of her nose, he examined her with his mechanized contacts. They blinked and flickered constantly as he tried to retrieve more information on her.

"This is the one, huh? Look at her, sleeping so peacefully and without a care. I am getting paid for this, but she's rather cute for an enormous dragon..."

He cursed himself mentally in response to his strange compassion for Hooktail.

"What am I saying? Why do I feel so bad about this...? I'm a damned mercenary! A gun for hire, a professional, a freelancer and I actually have second thoughts about killing her. I know I joined the Black Apparitions for the currency, but I'm not sure I can keep this charade up... all these heartless killings and glorified headhunting..."

The cloaked reptilian continued scanning the sleeping female dragon, although it was in an absentminded manner. He was busy struggling to pull himself together; his face, heavily concealed by the black hood, strained to maintain an impassive expression. From out of nowhere, his outline suddenly became visible. A gust of wind blew through his robe and revealed a cloaking instrument that was fastened to his belt, along with the scoped blaster pistol. It was how he (and all other Black Apparitions) had been able to remain mostly invisible. By an outlandish external force of action, he turned the device off.

Hoping with all his might that Hooktail wouldn't wake up, he carefully stroked her snout. On occasion, tiny streams of smoke would emerge from the nostrils in between the snoring. He did this for some thirty seconds before pulling back in shocking realization.

"Oh boy, I don't even know anymore..." the lone cyber Koopa muttered, somewhat frightened. "I just don't know..."

He turned around and began heading back to his hiding spot, only to see his blue-eyed companion: at least ten others were also with him. They all wore the black robes, had either black or gray shells and with bright yellow, red or purple mechanical contacts. What was different were the weapons these Koopas had. They carried a hefty gun that resembled a big grenade launcher, only greatly modified. Instead of cylinder rounds, there were recharging batteries. A holo-sight was mounted on top of the body while the barrel was basically a cannon, as though a huge amount of something could come out of it. It was also pure silver, dark gray or jet-black in terms of color scheme.

"All right, we're ready to move in." the blue cyber stated.

"...yeah, same here. She's just up ahead." said the green cyber after a short hesitation.

He slowly pointed a finger toward the slumbering Hooktail. Everyone nodded in a robotic way as they held up their weapons and waited for the confirmation.

"Excellent," answered the Koopa in azure contacts, also readying his gun. "You all have your orders: eliminate the dragoness."

Everyone but the green and blue mercs marched forward. Only their outlines and bionic implants flashed maliciously through the shadowy robes, their weapons charging up before the inevitable attack.

"I'm so sorry..." murmured the conflicted turtle regretfully as began heading to his comrades. "I wish I could help you, but there's nothing I can do now."

However, before he was able to meet up with the rest of the group, everything became black. The Koopa Troopa with blue irises had shot him in the head with his blaster pistol from behind. He stood back and witnessed the killing of Hooktail in the hands of his crew.

"How pitiful, he actually had sentiments for the dragon... simply pathetic." the black robed blue turtle murmured, a callous tone complementing his blank look.

He did not bother to look back at his bloody deed, instead focusing his attention on the scene before him. All that matter was finishing the mission and getting paid.

The now deceased green-eyed reptilian had been right about one thing: there **was** nothing he could do now.

**(Had to make a minor change in this chapter. Sorry about the inconvenience folks.)**


	12. Lamentation of a Dragoness

**Lamentation of a Dragoness**

'_No... this can't be...! How...?_'

Angel, who was currently transformed into her champion form as Kyubimon, was in absolute shock at the horrific sight before her: the dragoness Hooktail had been slain. She came back from the Boggly Woods after sensing that her life was in danger, which occurred minutes after the cyber Koopas left. Though the Digimon was capable of healing as Magimon, she could not utilize resurrection as far as she knew. Angel had been too late.

The female dragon's enormous body was devastated by what look liked gunfire, only it was more than that. Much of the scales were blown apart, incinerated and cauterized while the top of her head was blasted open. A stub of the hooked tail was all that was left as her feet were missing several toes; the great wings also had large holes and was scorched to a blackened heap. These wounds suggested advanced weaponry that Angel had little knowledge about. The only clue to this unusual attack was the bluish-white or green residue around Hooktail's corpse.

'_Hooktail, I'm so sorry friend... you did not deserve this untimely death... Who or what twisted beings could have done this to you?_'

The nine-tailed fox simply stood her ground, maintaining a sorrowful expression. She mentally prayed for her to rest in peace within the afterlife. After a lengthy duration of time, she examined the strange powder without having any idea what it actually was. She studied it closely as her frigid blue eyes narrowed in concentration.

'_What is this odd substance?_' thought Angel curiously.

When the fox Digimon took a whiff of the strange residue, her nose recoiled a bit. A faint burning odor emanated from the physical matter. She threw her paw, vigorously rubbing it on the ground in an attempt to remove the offending powder.

Angel stared at the deceased Hooktail once more with a grief-stricken feeling in her heart. Not only was her death difficult to accept, but she realized that Agon was completely oblivious to this sudden event. If he found out about the female dragon's demise... It wouldn't matter, because sooner or later, he would know; the short human deserved to be informed as soon as possible.

Angel hesitated for a brief moment. She alone took it hard, but what of Agon's reaction? He would not accept this at all, likely to be in unhealthy denial that Hooktail's death was nothing more than a poorly-executed April Fool's joke. Considering their close friendship, she expected the worst to come out of him once he knew. It wouldn't be pleasant.

'_Oh, Agon... I don't know how to break this to you... If only I arrived sooner..._' mused Angel regretfully, gazing into the dark blue and black sky above.

She remained where she was to observe the blank nightfall for minutes more: the moon and stars were not visible, which made the atmosphere bleaker. The nine-tailed vixen glanced back at the remnants of Hooktail before eventually teleporting to the twenty-six year old's location.

* * *

Inside cabin 002 of the Excess Express, Agon was presently asleep on the bunk-bed. He situated himself on the bottom half as all of his gear was removed and placed on the top bed. Noisy breathing sounds were coming from him which indicated that he was snoring to his heart's content. He didn't move nor open his eyes when the golden fox in her champion form materialized in the room. She hastily trotted over to him and shook him forcefully.

"Wake up! There's something I need to tell you..." Angel said in a low voice of concern.

At first, the little man rolled over in his sleep. It had taken many attempts before he finally woke up. His bloodshot eyes had dark circles underneath them while the rest of his face was corroded with weariness.

"Ugh... what is it? I'm trying to rest here..." grumbled Agon, momentarily annoyed by this unexpected wake-up call.

"It's about Hooktail."

"Well, what about her? I hope this is important..."

Despite being extremely tired and irked, he was roused by the icy blue eyes that pierced right through him. Her serious demeanor and the severity of her solemn glare had made him uneasy.

"This can't be good." said Agon apprehensively as he sat up on his bed.

"You're damn right it's not good. Hooktail is dead." stated Angel in a blunt tone, getting straight to the point.

His sleepiness was obliterated: a boiling pool of emotions bubbled within him. The two most prominent ones were disbelief and vexation. He quickly stood up and walked around.

"That's not funny. If this is a bad joke of some sort..." he began.

"This isn't a joke! I'm telling you the truth, Hooktail IS dead. Don't believe me? I'll show you!" the golden fox shouted.

"Yes, take me to her. Maybe I'll buy into your story then."

After the small man gathered his inventory, Angel placed her paws on his shoulders. A strong beam of white light radiated around them and filled the interior of the train cabin. Once it faded away, the two of them were no longer in the room.

* * *

They arrived at the plains outside of Hooktail Castle with all haste. As soon as Agon reached the spot where the crimson dragon was, his expression became utterly blank and lifeless. He had no words to describe the heartache that was threatening to overwhelm him. The nine-tailed Kyubimon stood behind Agon on her hind legs and donned a somber look, her head slightly bowed down and arms pinned to her sides.

Her appearance was similar to the normal version of Renamon's champion form. Other than being over a foot taller (8'1), there were two differences: one, she wore an extra-long purple scarf instead of the candy-cane bow with gold pointed ends. Two, the yin-yang icons on her forehead and thighs were replaced with platinum shield symbols.

Angel closed her eyes and said nothing while Agon kneeled down, trying to ward off the incoming tears. He felt like a hollow shell of himself that refused to believe Hooktail was really dead. He pounded the grassy land viciously with his right fist, indifferent to the shooting pain that soon followed. This couldn't be real...

"Hooktail... who did this to you...? Who took my lady in red away from me...?" he whispered to himself as he covered his face. "I loved you..."

Agon's tone was full of self-blame and ruefulness. He felt that he was the one at fault for the female dragon's death.

"I curse myself for not protecting you... Damn it all! Arrrrggh!" he went on, now turning to supplanted anger.

He suddenly forced himself up, threw off his helm and equipped his combat shotgun. Out of blind rage and grief for the red dragoness, he started shooting at the deep twilight sky. Each pull of the trigger seemed to intensify accordingly with his increasing anger as the booming gunshots resonated in an outward direction.

"Who would do this?! Why was she taken away from me?! Why?! Why?! WHY?!" Agon bellowed in between each shotgun blast. "It should have been me! Not my beloved Hooktail! FUCK!"

His roaring voice was heavy with anguished fury, which had caused the silent Digimon to worry. She wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to pacify his emotion distress. He ceased firing, but maintained his infuriated behavior.

"It's not your fault," Angel said in a soothing voice as she pulled him in close. "You had nothing to do with her death."

"Yes it is! I wasn't there and she died because of me! I'm such an unworthy friend to her!" replied Agon as he began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shhh... it's okay... let it all out. Everything." she cooed, placing her head on top of his.

"I miss her already..." he moaned weakly.

The heartbroken human eventually dropped his shotgun and hugged her back, pouring out all of his sadness to the comforting vixen. She wore a tenderly expression while shielding him entirely from the rest of the cruel world. The unfriendly nightfall passed on as it slowly enveloped the mournful pair in a shade of pure darkness.

* * *

It was dawn as the sun quietly revealed itself over the horizon. Many gray clouds of various sizes were present, floating from one side to the other. The hostile wind blew recklessly, causing the young man to wake up from the fierce cold. He took his time in opening his eyes: Angel slept with him in company as her arms were closed on top of his chest, literally protecting his aching heart from further harm. A few seconds went by before remembering that he cried himself to sleep over the death of his close friend, Hooktail.

'_She's gone and it will stay that way,_' he told himself repeatedly in an attempt to accept the truth. '_She's gone from this world. I cannot help her now._'

Agon didn't bother to move from his spot. He would rather stay with Angel, who had taken the time to comfort him in his darkest hour. She, too, had also been on great terms with Hooktail. He wondered how she was taking it. The kitsune must have experienced emotional torment as well, even through the composed mentality of the average Renamon. It was possible that she was merely hiding her feelings. He failed to do so, which made him feel incredibly ashamed of himself. He wept like a broken fool in front of Angel; how much weaker could he get?

'_I can only imagine what she must think of me after last night. I cried and cried until I could cry no more, like a frail infant. I don't deserve her as a friend... Why hasn't she left me alone to drown in my own despair?_'

His occupied mind had simultaneously switched over to Gloomtail. He had forgotten in his stupor about the brotherly dragon. He could not bear to visualize **his** reaction to his dear sister laying dead on the ground. In fact, there was a very high likelihood that Gloomtail would blame Agon for not protecting her or being by her side. He hoped that it would be out of total grief for his female sibling and not genuine hatred; hostility was the last thing he needed.

'_Oh shit, just wait until Gloomtail finds out about her sister..._' thought Agon with fear. '_He won't take this well at all. It's only a matter of time._'

The twenty-six year old carefully turned himself around and buried his face into Angel's chest. He didn't want to think anymore. Rest was all that mattered to him now. Even if the caring kitsune left him, at least things had been good for a time. She stirred upon his physical action and began to wake up. He saw this and quickly relinquished himself from her. Just as she opened her blue eyes, Agon dashed off toward the Petal Meadows.

He soon found himself in said destination; getting away from Hooktail Castle and Angel was his top priority. After finding a fully-grown tree, he sat down underneath it and concealed himself from the world. However, this much-needed solitude was interrupted as the four-legged Kyubimon ran in his direction. She met up with him while the little human donned a mournful facial expression.

"Just leave me be," he said feebly, averting his gaze entirely. "I don't deserve to be with you."

"I will **not** do that." declined Angel while sidling up close to him.

"Why not?"

"Because you need me more than ever. You're clearly hurt and loneliness will only worsen your pain."

The interaction between the duo was strained as it proved difficult to start. He shook his head dismissively.

"Hooktail died because I wasn't there. You don't have to hang around me anymore. I'm a failure and a disgrace now." Agon exclaimed baldly as he tried to distance himself.

She swiftly leaped on top of him to prevent his escape. The nine-tailed fox peered at him with a solicitous look in her eyes.

"You are not at fault here. You couldn't have known about her fatal demise ahead of time. This grief is consuming you from the inside, it has to be resolved. I'm not going anywhere."

"Well you should just leave," said Agon fiercely, who forced himself to make eye contact. "I feel like such a weakling after having broken down in front of you. I'm ashamed of myself. How can you even talk to me after that?"

"Because I'm your friend. I chose to remain with you, no matter the circumstances. You needed to pour your heart out, it would have been worse if you kept it bottled up. It was only natural that you took Hooktail's death very seriously. I loved her too. She was a great friend to us and there was no one else like her."

Angel maintained her concerned gaze upon Agon, who also stared back with reddened eyes. He kept silent.

"You are not a weak being," she continued while caressing his face. "Your emotional distress was a result of a wonderful companion that brought happiness for us both. Even though she is gone now, **I'm** still here for you and I'll be with you forever. Don't blame yourself for her death. If Hooktail was listening to us now, she would tell you the same thing."

"Really?" asked Agon with longing in his recovering voice.

"Yes, I believe in that. I only wish that we could have seen her one last time before the inevitable occurred."

There was a long silence. The bitter wind howled every so often, which caused the human to shiver subconsciously.

"...Come here." said Angel softly, breaking the soundless moment. She held out her arms toward him.

He obeyed willingly, submitting to her welcoming hold. Agon nuzzled his face in her white mane as the champion digital being wrapped her scarf around him. They said no more, content to comfort each other in their lament for the female red dragon.

'_...Thank you Angel..._' was all he could muster in his mind, still too broken to think coherently.

She smiled sympathetically while tightening her embrace and, utilizing her telepathy, answered back.

'_You're welcome my friend. That's why I'm here for you in this darkest hour._'

**(God damn, I really didn't want to kill off Hooktail at all. Anyone who happens to be a fan of her, don't worry, she could make a comeback... This section was originally in the previous chapter, but I decided that this warranted its own chapter. The transition didn't work out well when I combined it the first time.)**


	13. The Road to Vengeance

**The Road to Vengeance**

Over a week had gone by since the death of Hooktail: it had not been a pleasant one at that.

During this time, the black mythological beast learned of his sister's death and was beyond enraged. The general outcome was that Agon and Gloomtail had been temporarily hostile toward each other; they continually blamed one another for Hooktail's fate out of unsighted anger and grief. Talking had been limited to bouts of troubled silence and restrained greetings while other times, they kept their distance from each other. At one point, an argument between them had been pushed too far and resulted in a conflict. In the heat of the situation, Gloomtail had unleashed his Megabreath while Agon made use of his rocket launcher. It had escalated to such a heightening moment that the yellow vixen transformed herself into Magimon, her ultimate form, and interfered in their battle by projecting a massive force field between the two.

Thankfully, this was enough to stop the both of them from killing each other. The little human and the brotherly dragon had come to realize that this was because they both missed the female dragon, and they also knew fighting would only worsen the already terrible situation. Their unchecked emotions had taken a massive toll upon their fragile hearts, as well as their disposition toward each other.

It was no surprise that Angel had acted as the mediator during their quarrels. Given that the young man and the enormous dark dragon were still trying to take in Hooktail's death, some bad blood was bound to be shed. The melee that occurred between them had also been a method of removing the pent-up anger and frustration out of their systems. Agon and Gloomtail had eventually said their apologies and put all of their animosity behind them: along with Angel, both missed the crimson dragoness dearly and it had been a dreadful week for all three of them as a result. Nevertheless, things were patched up for the time being.

This continual depression had also caused Agon to hole up in either Petalburg or Rogueport. His desire for action and adventure seemed to have died abruptly, as though the thrill was sucked out of his body and mind completely. He kept to himself and stayed within the comfort of the inns, having only gone out once during the entire week. Angel had been his company; he was sensible enough to realize that isolation and loneliness would further increase his grief. She never left his side as he did his best to cope with the loss of Hooktail. Even through his broken state, Agon appreciated the fact that the fox Digimon continued to remain with him. She was more than his other close friend, she was also a shoulder to cry on and one that was a hybrid of a kind sister and maternal figure. A companion like her could be compared to a lottery draw, for one would not know for certain whether it would be favorable or undesirable: luck played a role in all this. The powerful bond between the two was almost indestructible and it still grew stronger with each interaction, good or bad.

Day by day, he had slowly moved forward on the long path to recovery. Through the many arguments, speeches, venting of different emotions, promises of revenge, hugs and kisses, Agon had somewhat sobered up from his intoxicated despair. It was enough though, because he needed to move on at some point and it was after the same week that he made an important decision: he would avenge Hooktail. This was the least he could do for his deceased close friend. The first order of business was to identify who her killers were.

The bald-headed human would become lucky in this regard. On the first day (late morning) of the next following week, he had been walking around the outside of Hooktail Castle when he stumbled upon a dead Koopa Troopa with green cybernetic implants; they were now devoid of life. The corpse had been well-hidden behind a mature tree that was larger and taller than most. Digging through the black robe, he found an audio log that revealed some vital information. The message was as follows:

"...and you're to participate in the mission, understand?" a cold voice barked out. "Failure will not be tolerated in the Black Apparitions. We've received our directive from the contact: eliminate the red female dragon Hooktail. We mobilize in one minute."

"Affirmative." a quiet voice said in acknowledgment. Agon could have sworn that he heard the slightest bit of fear within that tone.

"Do not lag behind. Mario allowed us to use lethal force. It's do or die, you read me?"

"Yes sir."

"Then move out and show no mercy," the authoritative voice was placid, but obviously stiff and militaristic. "Once this is done, we move in to eliminate the older brother Gloomtail. Same contact, same orders. Go."

A set of footsteps that sounded like steel boots had moved away as another pair soon followed suit. The transmission ended there, indicated by a little clicking static noise.

From this, it seemed that the unknown killers responsible were part of an elite mercenary group called the Black Apparitions. They had been hired by a man named Mario, the very same person famous for many things, of which being a hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was one of them. Who else could have they been talking about? The renowned plumber paid these professional murderers to take out the red dragoness, simple as that. Agon had guessed that this was done out of revenge for what she had tried to do during their battle against each other. So the red-capped plumber held a personal grudge after all... Apparently, he had little stomach for a head-on fight and instead chose to get a band of money-grubbing, gun-totting paramilitaries to do the dirty work for him.

Mario had not been satisfied with only wiping out Hooktail: Gloomtail had been targeted for death as well. It was clear that they would come back for a second round, so it was best to warn him. When he relayed everything he now knew to the black dragon, he had responded with a vengeful spirit, saying that he would crush, scorch and annihilate these Black Apparitions, all for his dead sister. Agon was momentarily taken back by the maddened attitude; he had never seen or heard this murderous side of Gloomtail, not since the battle between the black dragon and Mario in the Palace of Shadow. It scared him a bit.

The bloodthirsty persona was justified though, because the young man realized that this would be a chance to exact some form of vengeance for the gigantic dragoness. Therefore, he fervently declared that he would fight alongside Gloomtail, who had been more than pleased by this decision. The golden vixen also agreed to assist the two, having stated that she and Hooktail had been close friends as well. Another reason was because she wanted to protect Agon and stay by his side. This unwavering loyalty from her had demonstrated itself yet again. She then transformed from Renamon to Kyubimon and into Magimon. Angel brandished her fire-enchanted staff, eager to confront the black robed assassins.

* * *

At noon, the enemy arrived within the Petal Meadows. There were at least twenty of them, the sapphire cybernetic turtle included. The fight had proven to be a pushover, mainly due to the abilities of Magimon and the power of a sixty-foot raging beast. Agon, Angel and Gloomtail had successfully fought off the Black Apparitions as a result with minimal injuries. The blue-eyed Koopa was the only one remaining among his deceased team and had nowhere to go. As soon as he attempted to retreat, Agon had shot down both of his legs with the chaingun and disarmed him, rendering the robed reptilian incapable of fighting back. Angel followed up by casting a spell that imprisoned him in stasis. He was unable to move any part of his body, only speech being free from the enchantment.

"What do we do with him now?" questioned Agon, staring at the trapped turtle.

"We interrogate him. He may be able to tell us something we would be interested in." answered Angel as she glared upon the Koopa with ferocity.

"Right. Okay, here we go."

The dark-brown eyed man stepped closer to the blue cyber and, planting a boot on top of his immobile midsection, began the interrogation.

"Who sent you?" he asked with a bitter tongue.

"The plumber Mario. He is the brother of Luigi." the Koopa answered monotonously.

"What faction do you work for?"

"The Black Apparitions."

"You were tasked to kill both Hooktail and Gloomtail. Why?" the young human inquired.

"We were promised a lot of gold coins if we committed to this mission. We had no concern for his personal affairs."

Agon continued to question him, a bit more remorselessly.

"Where is Mario?"

"I do not know." the turtle with blue irises replied.

"You are lying. You **know** where the hell he is. I'll ask again, where is he?"

"I do not know." repeated the imprisoned Koopa.

"I said, where is he?" echoed Agon impatiently.

"I do not know. We were only told to assassinate the targets of his choice. We were getting paid, simple as that."

The twenty-six year old shook his head in frustration, unsatisfied by these less-than useful answers; this was information he already knew. He appealed to Angel for assistance.

"I'm getting nothing from him." said Agon in an exasperated tone, his eyebrows frowning.

"Oh, he's hiding something from us all right. I'll get him to answer." said Angel with a confident smirk.

She approached the black robed Koopa and began reading his mind. Her cobalt eyes narrowed in deep concentration as she channeled her telepathic ability into the cybernetic cerebrum. Only a few seconds later, a winning smile was on her face.

"I've got it now," Angel said triumphantly. "We don't need our trapped friend here anymore."

"Yes, very good. You're awesome." responded Agon in relief. He had once again forgotten about the golden fox's telepathy. Facing Gloomtail, he said to him, "Why don't you do the honors? You deserve to punish someone in the name of your sister."

"With great pleasure." the massive dragon agreed as excitement edged itself into his dark voice.

He stomped over to the Koopa, lifted his foot high up and, with one clean motion, crushed him. For good measure, Gloomtail grinded his foot on the grass to make certain that the dead turtle was really dead. Agon and Angel watched this gruesome display with expressions of justified happiness: there was some satisfaction to be gained by decimating Hooktail's assassins.

"So, these Black Apparitions, what of them? Was this all of their troops?" asked the short man calmly.

"No, they have a small base of operations in a large urban area called Mushroom City," explained Angel, now looking at him seriously. "Their numbers are tiny, but their technology, weaponry and training is much higher than most mercenaries. The Black Apparitions are known to be extremely ruthless and destructive during a mission and will stop at absolutely nothing to achieve their objective. Yes indeed... the one called Mario was the one who hired them to murder Hooktail and Gloomtail."

"I should have figured. Didn't think he would resort to having a group of professionals do the dirty deed for him. Well, we know now that he did it. What about his location?"

"Unfortunately, the cybernetic turtle was actually telling the truth in that regard. He's never known about Mario's whereabouts. They **were** simply hired, nothing else."

Agon cupped his chin in deep thought. He nodded, content that they at least had something to work with.

"I suppose we'll need to go to Mushroom City then. Find that hideout and get some more information. Mario could literally be anywhere and I'm almost positive that people aren't going to give away the answer just like that. Can you take us there?"

"Yes. I've been in many places of this world during my times as a roamer. Give me a bit of space here." answered Angel as she sat down with her legs crossed and entered the recesses of her mind.

While she mediated, Agon addressed Gloomtail with a determined facial expression.

"We're onto something here," he said to the black dragon. "These Black Apparitions will pay big time for destroying your lovely sister. After they are gone, it's a matter of searching for Mario. Guess he's always held a personal resentment against the both of you."

"You make sure that you smile while you're out there killing those bastards. I want nothing more than to eviscerate every single one of them, especially that loathsome plumber." Gloomtail proclaimed with a wicked smile.

"I promise you my friend, I **will** find them and tear them apart one by one. For your sister."

The brotherly creature grunted in appreciation. Retribution was inevitable.

"Hooktail didn't deserve this," added Agon, a touch of pity in his voice. "I wish that I could revive her and pretend that her death never happened."

"Me too, Agon. I would love it if that could somehow turn into a miracle..."

They thought of the ruby dragoness for a brief moment, their expressions changing into a wave of sadness. Although over a week had gone by since her fate, it was difficult to forget about her and the benign hospitality that followed.

"What about you? I'm worried that they'll try to take you out while Angel and I are gone." reminded the young man. The attack from the black robed reptilians had been minutes ago.

"They do not frighten me," stated Gloomtail with immense bravado. "I will send them all back to their makers and prevail. There is no need for you to worry about me. All that matters is you and Angel avenge my young sister. She was your best friend after all."

The resolute tone had made itself clear: with a conclusive finality and a curt nod, Agon walked over to the nine foot Magimon. She had stood up, wearing an expectant look on her inexorable face. Angel held out a paw toward him.

"Whenever you are ready, Agon." the Digimon in her ultimate form said.

After quickly looting the dead corpses of the various cybernetic beings, he was set. He now had some new weapons in his inventory as well as a black robe and an invisibility device. One of the guns he had picked up was a plasma cannon that was capable of heavy damage, but with a slow recharge rate and low ammo capacity. The other was a pair of scoped blaster pistols that were fastened to his waist. The green armor Agon had worn for a while was badly damaged, but still provided decent protection. He threw away his shotguns, magnum and chaingun as he had no ammunition left and there was a bit too much to carry with him. Only the rocket launcher was exempt from the fate of being discarded like useless trash.

"Let's go." concluded Agon with a solemn nod to her.

Angel clasped both of his hands and teleported to the bustling metropolis of Mushroom City. Gloomtail stared at the exact spot where they were just seconds ago, muttering a well-intended "Good luck to you, friends." before returning to the decaying corpse of Hooktail.

**(Sorry that my last few chapters have been on the short side. The next one will be a bit longer.)**


	14. A Tedious Endeavor

**A Tedious Endeavor**

Within the Mushroom Kingdom, there was a large urban center known as Mushroom City. Many travelers go to this place of hustle and bustle for a few reasons. Some liked it for the endless amounts of shops in its commercial district. It was not uncommon to find nearly anything you wanted in less than a minute. There were various food stands, gas stations, supermarkets, clothing stores, electronic departments, weapon armories, office complexes and skyscrapers, it went on. The service quality was also impressive, with most employees and managers having a polite and helpful attitude toward the customers.

Another rational motive was that unemployment was at an all-time low with a meager percentage of four: jobs were not at all hard to find and it helped, in conjunction with the booming commercial sector, that the economy was astonishingly stabilized. As a result, the industry was outstanding from its high production rates in the warehouses and factories. Their most demanding commodity was, at present, computers and laptops. A store going out of stock was rare since supplies were easily replenished; trucks often patrolled the plethora of roads in anticipation of a shop needing additional goods.

The massive city was also a place where people got together in malls, public squares, open parks, in the suburbs or anywhere in the metropolis. If there wasn't much to do, they would socialize with each other as friends and neighbors. On some days, family picnics and other outside activities were organized if the weather permitted it: others found themselves content with just casually walking around.

However, this overwhelming activity came at a cost. Traffic jams were a common issue, especially at the intersections. The roads were so congested in this city that people resorted to either public taxis, shuttles or the Wiggler buses. It all else failed, walking was the final option. There **was** a subway network installed, but the entry fee was very expensive and often avoided by most visitors. It didn't matter too much because the underground trains were known for being overcrowded, simply due to the fact that there was a huge volume of people in general. Getting to the seats was a matter of first-come, first-serve: shoving, biting, kicking, punching, gouging eyes or even throwing out other passengers were everyday tactics.

Crime was most prominent within the commercial sector due to the stimulated business. Most police forces, consisting of Toads, Yoshis, Shy Guys, Koopa Troopas or the occasional Pianta, were usually stationed there to combat the never-ending wave of suspicious activity. Many fortunate shop owners managed to fight off local thugs and thieves from stealing their goods and money, while a few were robbed clean. Attempts at shoplifting overall was seldom successful; the large groups of civilians would act as eyewitnesses and the high number of police patrols saw to it that the few luckier brigands were dealt with accordingly. It didn't help them that almost all retail outlets were outfitted with state-of-the-art security systems, thanks to the ingenuity of the scientist Elvin Gadd. He ran a company called Gadd Science Incorporated and had an auxiliary facility somewhere in the industry district manufacturing his inventions. The location of his main production center is currently unknown.

In response to the presence of authority, the black market was constructed underground, concealed from the public in order to conduct certain 'deals' with shady characters. Alleyways, streets and backyards were not ideal for this type of business because of the law enforcers roving about. Legitimate areas such as a bakery, restaurant or bookstore were utilized as fronts, operating from behind the scenes as rackets. Shopkeepers that had these 'relationships' were taken care of in a number of ways. The lesser criminals stuck with bribing as a method of turning a blind eye while the higher-ups played the protection game, extorting currency through the use of force. Some professionals with silver tongues were fortunate enough to talk their way out of almost anything; even federal agents were occasionally swayed by the diplomatic words of these experts.

The advantage was given to the good guys when it came to busting up crime rings. In addition to Professor Gadd's security grid, most store owners were equipped with firearms, such as a hand pistol or pump-action shotgun. Police officers in general were moral enough not to be persuaded by the smooth-talkers, though from time to time, there was a slip-up. Only the major crime syndicates stood a chance in defying the law and even they struggled to uphold their dwindling empire. Despite the side of justice dominating, crime flourished here and there: new activities were operating on a twenty-four hour basis, so the battle never ceased.

Indeed, Mushroom City was an engaging metropolis in its own right. There was even a race course designed in another part of the urban architecture. Every now and then, it would be opened to those interested in participating. While there were carts of all classes provided, many people preferred to build their own, perhaps to personalize it to their liking. Trophies were rewarded to the top three: the gold to first place, the silver to second place and bronze belonging to third place. A monetary prize was also given out to the recipient in first, varying between 2 000 to 10 000 gold coins. Not too bad for a three lap competition. Up to twelve individual racers of any species (twenty-four with partners) could partake in this event.

* * *

Agon and Angel were in one of the central plazas as the white aura around them faded into nothing. It was close to midnight, the sky blackened with a touch of dark blue and lavender along the crescent moon shimmering eerily from high above. A cool current of air weaved in and out throughout the entire city; it was not exactly frosty, but it wasn't what one would call warm. A large stone fountain sat casually smack in the middle like that of an atrium. Within the structural attraction was a silver statue of Princess Peach standing tall, her right arm raised and a scepter in hand. The water was gently flowing from the top of the metallic crown to the circular pool. Wooden benches and lamps were situated around the fountain and in the corners. The fine-textured cement ground was mostly clear of litter as a few cracks were present.

The area was sparse with pedestrians since many of them were at home sleeping or working overnight. A few groups of Toads with shopping bags were chattering away about their lives as a pair of Yoshis, yellow and orange, strolled by them. A Pianta police patrol with a dark gray uniform marched from one side to the other, his truncheon held right-handed. On one of the wooden benches, a pink robed Bandit relaxed in peace as he gazed upon the nightly ceiling.

"Pretty quiet..." muttered Agon in a low voice. "I've never been here before, but I remember hearing about this place because of Mario Kart: Double Dash."

"What's that exactly, a video game of some sort?" inquired Angel with wonder, looking around through the metallic gray hood and scarf.

"Yeah, you got it, but let's get moving. Where do we start?"

He scratched his bald head in confusion while roving about without a clear direction. This was a huge city from a first glance; the metric tons of buildings emphasized that fact. The heavily robed Digimon connected her sleeves together.

"Well, we could ask around. Perhaps someone may be able to tell us about the Black Apparitions." she suggested, tilting her head toward a nearby group of socializing Toads.

The two of them approached the mushrooms, who all stared in curiosity. One of them backed up in slight fear while the other three stood still with a guarded look. A Toad wearing a white and purple dotted hat spoke up in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

"Something you need stranger?"

"I was wondering if you have any information in regards to a mercenary faction called the Black Apparitions." stated Agon as he crossed his arms.

"Hmm... Black Apparitions...? No, can't say I've heard of them. Sorry..." the purple Toad replied, shrugging his tiny shoulders.

"Do you know anyone that can aid us in our search?" asked Angel.

The stubby fungus humanoid pursed his lips in an attempt to think deeply. A few seconds later, he shook his head.

"Got nothin' pal."

"What about Mario? You know where he is?" blurted Agon.

"Nah."

Agon and Angel said goodbye and strolled over to the lone police officer. He had a calm facial expression while he absentmindedly twirled his baton. He had been asked the same question to which the answer wasn't any better.

"We have records of the various gangs in this city, but I've never heard about these 'Black Apparitions' you speak of. Are they ghosts?"

"No, they are a faction of special mercenaries hired by a man named Mario," corrected Angel serenely. "Do you know about him?"

"Mario, you said? Yes... we've got his record on file." the Pianta officer said.

"Can you show us?" Agon asked in an equally tranquil voice.

The gray uniformed patrol folded his arms and shook his head brusquely. This didn't come as a surprise to the twenty-six year old, given that the information was presumably classified. He would need a different source.

"Well, thanks anyway." he concluded before moving down a dimly-lit street.

Agon and Angel roamed throughout this section, questioning the scattered civilians and other police officers. All of them had responded negatively: the answer had been the same, either they never heard of the black robed Koopas, lacked knowledge of Mario's general location or there was confidential info on the red and blue plumber.

They eventually arrived at the end of the street into an area of stores. None of them were open. No one else other than the short man and the giantess Magimon were present. The streetlamps were the only means of proper illumination with its orange-red or silver lights.

Agon let out a dispirited sigh as he said, "We're not getting anywhere... Right now, it's like searching for lost gold in a big desert without a map."

"Don't give up my friend," assured Angel, placing a large paw on his hairless head. "This city is vast and there are so many places we have yet to explore. We just need to persist."

"Yeah... If you say so..."

They kept roving the nearly deserted streets, encountering a Goomba and a Toad with a white and green dotted cap. Unsurprisingly, both of them had no knowledge of the esoteric mercenaries or the famous plumber after being asked the questions. It was somewhere during the middle of nightfall by the time Agon and Angel reached an open park. Alone, they settled themselves on a concrete bench and observed their surroundings. Trees and clumps of bushes were gathered all over as a public water fountain stood next to the three-way junction. The lush forest-green grass was short, having been cut at an earlier time. An onyx fence with archways was built around in a perfect square. The human had a displeased look on him as he shook his head in annoyance.

"Unbelievable... nothing." he commented while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, I am also bothered by the lack of progress we have made," agreed the nine foot vixen, her wolf-like face lined with slight frustration. "Our murderers are quite secretive. It could take a long time before we get anything on them."

"You're most likely right about that. It's been a couple of hours and we're nowhere close to avenging Hooktail. Oh man, I'm tired... What should we do now? Keep looking or rest here?"

She was in deep thought for a long moment as her blue eyes stared ahead. The hooded fox then turned to Agon with a look of tenacity.

"We must continue. I'm eager to repay our 'friends' for what they did to the female dragon. Revenge will be ours." announced Angel as she stood up from the bench.

"Hell yeah, I'm all about that. Onwards!" said Agon in a fired-up tone, mirroring her movements.

The duo pressed on in their search for answers until the next evening, where they had just entered a modest diner. So far, neither of them were anymore successful than the previous night. The only bit of information they had managed by was that the Black Apparitions operated most often at nightfall, thanks to a gossiping Shy Guy. This seemingly non-existent faction was much more hidden than the both of them had first thought. Even with Angel's telepathic ability, things were slow at best.

"Still nothing?" asked Angel, who had devolved back to Renamon. She wore her usual purple hood, scarf and gloves; her semi-phased blade dangled from the sash. The symbol of a blood red rose was situated on her right thigh, while the left had nothing on it.

"Other than that tidbit about the group working during the night," replied Agon as he sipped his cup of coffee. "These guys are good, considering that they may indeed be spooks..."

"I haven't gotten anything on my end either. Most of the people around here have never heard of the faction. I can't even pinpoint their exact location, let alone the presence of our black robed assassins. There has to be someone in this city that has heard of them."

While she drank from her glass of Nestlé iced tea, Agon wore a grim facial expression. He placed a hand on top of her left purple-sleeved paw.

"I hope so... I just want to split their heads open and spill the blood all over. They're making this so difficult for us." he remarked, his dark eyes suddenly ablaze.

"You and I, Agon." the golden fox said as she held his hand in return. For a brief set of time, there were stony looks upon them. Then they both suddenly smiled at each other before drinking from their beverages again.

* * *

Four days had passed and still no progress. The pair was somewhere in the busy commercial district, surrounded by the constant stream of people on the sidewalks. Cars and other vehicles drove by as the obnoxious honks made their presence known. The sky was bordering beyond dusk: a colorful blend of indigo, light-pink and dark-orange was arranged in a manner that suggested a type of heat-vision at work. The human and the rookie Renamon strolled through the many stores and shops stocked with various goods, both more unhappy and agitated than ever.

'_This is bullshit,_' said Agon dejectedly, aware that Angel was listening to his mind. This was fine because the hundreds of jabbering voices made it challenging to talk and be able to hear each other. '_We haven't gotten any new information and the trail is colder than ever._'

'_Over half a week now..._' answered the purple scarfed kitsune, sounding tired and vexed.

'_We haven't found anyone that has a very basic idea of who the Black Apparitions are. No information on Mario either... I'm starting to lose it here._'

He felt himself becoming impatient with desperation: they were wandering around Mushroom City on a fruitless mission of vengeance that literally went nowhere. For a bristling moment, the young man had to resist shooting his weapon into the air. Angel divined on his heated behavior and gestured toward a local library.

'_Let's go over there, it'll be much quieter for the both of us._' she said gently.

The two of them crossed the congested street and entered the large building. It didn't take long for the meandering duo to find an empty table, since not too people were here. A few Toads sat together some feet away while a lone light-blue Yoshi was reading a novel called 'The Chronicles of the Mushroom Kingdom'. A green Birdo wearing headphones was logged onto one of the computers watching 'The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!' on Youtube. There was also a Boo Buddy hovering here and there, looking for nothing in particular. It was much better here in this soothing interior than the noisy outside; verbal communication would be far easier.

"I swear, these guys are secret police or something," exclaimed Agon as he pressed a fist against his left temple. "They exist, but they don't exist. Let's go over what we actually know so far."

The contrasting (in terms of height at least) duo briefly touched upon their information: the Black Apparitions had been hired by Mario to kill Hooktail and Gloomtail. They had a headquarters somewhere in this huge metropolis. They were also relentless soldiers of fortune with advanced gear and training that held no remorse during a mission. Their numbers were few, reinforcing the esoteric status of their existence. The name, both had estimated, was literal; these special mercenaries **were** ghost operatives. They were said to be most apparent during the nocturnal phase. This was all they knew about these invisible gun-hands. Needless to say, this was not a whole lot to work with.

"You mentioned something about Mario having a brother. Luigi, was it?" said Angel, tapping her paws on the clean round table.

"Uh-huh, but we don't know his location either, so it does us no good. Even if we asked, there's no guarantee that they would know where Luigi is." said Agon dismissively.

"That's unfortunate. If he is the younger brother, surely he must possess knowledge of the red capped plumber. He could tell us about him and possibly the Black Apparitions."

"There's always a chance," admitted Agon, nodding his head. "I don't know anyone in this city that happens to have spoken to or seen Luigi though."

Meanwhile, the floating Boo Buddy passed by their table. He rotated himself and made his way toward the duo, having caught the end of their conversation.

"Did you say the name Luigi?" the ghostly spirit wondered as he faced the young human.

"Yes..."

"Well, believe it or not, greenie is actually hanging out with King Boo. I think they're somewhere in the central plaza."

Agon had a profound expression on his face. His eyes opened up with interest, suddenly awakened by this statement. Angel said nothing as her celestial blue irises gazed at the Boo in an intriguing manner.

"I ain't lying by the way," the round apparition pointed out. "I spoke with them earlier. You should be able to find them there."

"Uh, which plaza?" questioned Agon with a lost look in his dark-brown eyes.

"The one with a big fountain in the middle, there's a silver statue of Princess Peach holding a scepter," said the ivory spirit in a matter of fact. "It's got these benches and lamps close by."

After that, the Boo Buddy hovered away and resumed his activity of boredom. With crisp nods to each other, Agon and Angel moved out to their destination: the central plaza.

* * *

One quick teleportation later, they were at the same public square from the first time arriving in the city. It was early night, but many civilians were assembled in huge groups: some had cell phones, shopping bags, backpacks or satchels and other assortments. They focused their attention on the two robed beings: their entrance could have hardly been more conspicuous due to the bright bluish-white aura that materialized and dissipated. Agon stepped forward and, raising his arms up in a disarming manner, attempted to shrug off the numberless eyes upon he and Angel.

"Nothing to see here folks, just a means of transportation. That's it." he declared to the ample crowd of Toads, Yoshis, Shy Guys, Bandits, Koopas and Piantas. Many of them wore looks of curiosity and incredulity.

The tall Renamon walked alongside Agon, staring at some of the gawking bystanders who averted from her frigid cobalt eyes and feral appearance. An awkward moment later, much of the loiterers and shoppers returned to their activities. The short human surveyed the crowded plaza as he kept an eye out for a certain green-capped plumber and a Big Boo with a crown. It was difficult to see through the large groups of visitors bunched together.

'_Where are you...?_' he thought to himself as he threaded his way in, occasionally pushing aside a few pedestrians. His slender companion followed behind closely.

'_They're over there on that bench, next to a garbage bin. That's them, right?_' said Angel, her reverberating voice answering the rhetorical question.

She beckoned toward a mustachioed man wearing a green long-sleeved shirt, navy overalls with amber buttons and white gloves; he also had a green cap with the letter 'L' on it. With him was a huge Boo Buddy wearing a golden crown with ruby and sapphire jewels. A rather joyful expression made itself known on his face, a wide smile displaying his vampire-styled teeth. Agon and Angel trooped over to them.

"Hey, you're Luigi." said the twenty-six year old in a knowing tone.

"That I am, and who might you be?" asked the younger brother of Mario, sounding quite gentlemanly.

"Agon Archibald Peters. And my close friend here is known as Angel, for she possesses a pure heart of kindness." responded Agon while also complementing the golden fox. She gave him a heartwarming look as her normally icy eyes glowed happily. Feeling touched, the tall Digimon wrapped her fluffy tail around the black robed man.

"A pleasure to meet the both of you. This is my partner and companion, King Boo."

The large circular ghost bowed down and gazed at Agon and Angel amiably.

"Greetings to you." introduced King Boo courteously.

"So, how may I assist?" asked Luigi, crossing his arms behind his head.

"It's about your brother Mario," said Angel. "We were wondering if you could tell us where he is."

The leaner sibling in green changed his facial expression instantaneously; instead of a politely laid-back character, he now donned an earnest look that almost seemed bitter, even angry.

"Well, there's one place he's guaranteed to be in: Bowser's Castle." he exclaimed flatly.

"As a prisoner?"

"No," and the yellow vixen warrior saw his eyes flash menacingly for a fraction of a second. "As a member of the Koopa Clan. Mario joined Bowser Koopa."

King Boo merely nodded in grim confirmation, having already known about this fact. Agon was stunned and awestruck while Angel simply narrowed her eyes in response. All was silent among the quartet for what seemed like hours. The air around them became still despite the numerous people chattering and walking by. The red plumber himself, allying with the antagonistic leader of the Koopa Clan? What the hell was going on? How could that happen? There were more questions than ever and no definitive answers. There needed to be explanations.

"I don't think I understand anything here," said Agon, becoming slightly hysterical. "First, he sent gun hands to kill my friend, now you're telling me he's defected to evil? I'm beyond confounded now!"

"There's a lot to discuss. We should find a suitable place where it's less noisy and not so packed with people around us." replied Luigi.

"Where would that be?" inquired Angel with a guarded tone.

"You can come with us to the Mansion in the Boo Woods," added in the Lord of Boos. "I can take all four of us there, if you'd like."

Agon had a suspicious expression as his lips were pressed thinly: Angel folded her arms, on par with the little human's doubts. He told Luigi and King Boo to wait a minute while he and the fox Digimon discussed the situation, communicating through thoughts. The light-brown man was not psychic himself, but he was always confident that Angel would automatically pick up on whatever he 'spoke' within his mind, whether intentional or subconsciously.

'_What do you think? Should we take up their offer? He must know an awful lot about his own flesh and blood._' said Agon mentally, directing his gaze toward her.

'_Well, we have been getting nowhere so far and I think that we've got nothing to lose,_' explained Angel telepathically. '_I would go for it, but remain cautious. Some beings are not to be trusted so easily..._'

'_I'm aware of that. Well, I guess we need them, so let's go. Hopefully, we'll also get info on the Black Apparitions._'

'_I'm right behind you. Let's stay alert just in case. I'm positive they don't trust us too easily either._'

Agon understood that she was referring to Luigi and King Boo. When he came to think about it, shouldn't they be mortal enemies? Where did this relationship between the two come from and was it out of business, friendship or something? Yes, he reminded himself to ask them about that because the last thing he and Angel needed was yet another handful of unanswered questions. He quickly glanced at the unlikely pair, who were busy talking to each other like old pals.

'_More questions and no actual answers,_' commented Angel darkly. '_I really hope they can tell us anything we need to know. It would also be a great change of pace to get away from this urban center. We were here for five days wandering around without any leads to our perpetrators._'

'_Yeah... I'm aching with restlessness to avenge Hooktail. The sooner, the better._' agreed Agon as he clenched his hands into fists, thinking about his deceased close friend. He yearned to see the red dragoness again, but he knew senseless moping over this wouldn't do anything. Action was the one thing he and Angel required to complete the retribution.

They walked over to the green-capped plumber and the large crowned Boo. After a quick discussion, all four had vanished from the central plaza of Mushroom City; they were headed for Luigi's Mansion.

**(Well now, the plot is only going to get more 'creative' from here. You can tell that I was trying to be awfully imaginative with this bit. I'm taking great liberties, but I never thought my story would get this far to be perfectly honest. Nonetheless, enjoy it.)**


	15. Unlikely Alliances

**Unlikely Alliances**

"Check this place out," said Agon to Luigi while studying the inside of the Mansion. "You're doing quite well for yourself."

The four group members were within the first floor of Luigi's Mansion, walking down a lengthy corridor. The twenty-six year old had a look of amazement as he glanced at the wall pictures and silk carpets. Angel kept pace with Luigi and King Boo, also observing the design scheme of the decorated hallway with interest. Several doors leading to other rooms and fixed lights were present. The green plumber wore a little smile on his lips, pleased by Agon's reaction.

"It's all thanks to the King of Boos here. He gave me this place in a contest I didn't even enter, but I'm not about to complain when something free comes my way. He's the spirit." replied the younger brother of Mario, pointing to the big crowned ghost.

"Really now? I thought you hated Luigi. Why the philanthropy?" asked Agon, genuinely thrown off by King Boo's good heart.

"It was actually a surprise gift," explained King Boo smugly. "We've known each other in the past for a long time. I thought it would be a nice gesture on my part, especially after he told me that his goody-two-shoes brother Mario defected to my former ally."

"Very good of you then. Speaking of which, there IS a lot to talk about. Where do we start?" the bald-headed man said to Luigi.

"We'll get to that in a moment. Just gotta find the sitting room first..." muttered the green-capped man.

They continued to wander the maze of hallways, getting lost in the process for several minutes before entering a spacious room. There were three regal couches in beige with an oval coffee table; a square rug containing royal designs was underneath. The tiled flooring was made of shiny marble and there was also a kindled fireplace. A double glass window was built on a wall, which displayed the nightly skyline outside. The clock that was opposite of the window and over the fireplace read: 11:35 PM. A small silver vase with real flowers sat on the table, acting as a piece of decor.

Agon and Angel took their place on one of the couches, sitting right next to each other: Luigi and King Boo sat opposite of their position. The dark-brown eyed man removed his black robe and battered green armor, putting it down to his right. They said nothing at first. No sound was present apart from the crackling flames and the ticking of the timekeeping contraption. Eventually, Agon cleared his throat quietly as an indication of discussion.

"Shall I start, or you?" he asked with a rotating motion of his right hand.

"Hmm... you first," said Luigi, nodding toward him. "What's your beef with my brother?"

Agon looked over to Angel, who had an encouraging expression on her face. She smiled at him in a rallying manner while lightly squeezing his left shoulder.

"Well, he hired these special goons called the Black Apparitions to kill a very close friend of ours." he responded, straight to the point.

"And who would that be?"

"An enormous dragoness named Hooktail. Maybe your brother told you about his journey to the Thousand-Year Door."

"Yes, he spoke about that," said Luigi with a thoughtful expression. "She guarded a crystal star and was one of the Shadow Queen's pets. Wait... you were friends with her?"

The short man scratched the back of his head as the lean plumber raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. I found her alive in Hooktail Castle. I thought she was dead for good, but I was wrong. We talked for a bit and became friends during the introduction phase. Hard to believe, huh?"

"You're not kidding..." said King Boo in a bit of disbelief. "Is that actually true?"

Both Agon and Angel nodded.

"That's awesome! What's that like?"

"It's great, I've never had a dragon as a friend before," answered Agon with an excited look in his eyes. "Hooktail wasn't the only one though... Gloomtail and Bonetail were her brothers."

"Oh yeah, Mario mentioned that as well. What, you're also on good terms with them?" questioned Luigi.

"Gloomtail at least. Bonetail stayed dead after your older brother defeated him and the Shadow Queen."

The Lord of Boos stared at Agon, his mouth slightly open in surprise. Luigi crossed his arms and widened his eyes.

"Wow, that's impressive," exclaimed Luigi in awe. "How did you do it? It couldn't have been easy."

"It **was** easy. I found him within the Palace of Shadow, in the same state as Hooktail," began Agon nonchalantly. "After I told him that his young sister survived, he was grateful. That's how we became friends. It wasn't too shocking considering that, since the fall of the Shadow Queen, he missed his baby sister." He gestured to Angel as he said in a voice of gratitude, "Coincidentally, I also met my furry friend here. She saved my life."

The cadmium yellow kitsune smiled in acknowledgment while she affectionately wrapped her arms around Agon. Luigi and King Boo had genuine looks of interest, eager to know more.

"Saved your life?" repeated Luigi in bemusement. "You died?"

"There's a lot to explain." added Agon.

"Tell us more." said King Boo eagerly.

The short human told them everything in depth, including his entry into the fictional world. He, along with Angel for support, talked about their back stories and spoke of the encounters with Hooktail and Gloomtail in greater detail. When all was finished, Luigi sat back with a profound expression while his ghostly companion wore an look of stupefaction and admiration.

"So you got here from the Real World through a dimensional gateway that your mother built?" asked Luigi curiously.

"Yes sir, she was quite the inventive engineer. Never thought it would have actually functioned and brought me here." replied Agon in confirmation.

"Like a warp pipe. And you, a Digital Monster," Luigi addressed Angel. "came from a place called the Digital World?"

The yellow vixen nodded as she said, "You are correct. I have been here long before Agon, roving the many lands, helping out those in need and keeping to the wilderness."

Luigi rubbed his chin, trying to process this information he had little knowledge about.

"And this Digital World is like a connected reality to the Real World?"

"Essentially, yes. It is possible for humans and Digimon alike to enter these two realms." explained Angel.

"You said that you got here by accidental teleportation, right?" reminded King Boo, taking care to double-check the facts.

"Partially. When I utilized my power for the first time, I didn't know where it was going to take me. As a side note, not every Renamon possesses the ability of ultra long-range teleportation. It took me countless times to properly utilize this skill. That said, I'm not complaining because I met and befriended this cute little human here." said Angel, holding Agon's hand. He grinned from the complement.

Luigi gave out a supporting smile while the ghostly king cackled teasingly. The light-brown man merely shook off the laughter, realizing that King Boo was joking around in good fun.

"These Tail dragons, have they turned good after the events of The Thousand-Year Door?" questioned the green-capped man, his legs crossed over.

"Well, and it's only a theory of mine," answered Agon somewhat modestly. "I would assume that the Shadow Queen's death meant Hooktail, Gloomtail and Bonetail were broken free of her evil influence. I myself have thought that was the sole reasoning behind their cordial attitudes. They're incredibly pleasant dragons, as unexpected as that sounds. It was likely that Hooktail and Gloomtail just wanted a second chance to enjoy their freedom. Now, they won't have to worry about their mistress breathing down their necks."

"You went out of your way to be friends with them, so I'd have to believe you. It cost you your life in doing so, but you knew what you signed up for. I don't imagine my brother," Luigi said, practically sneering upon mentioning Mario. "would share the same intentions with you. Well, except for that nefarious Koopa King of course..."

"And that's why I want revenge for the death of Hooktail and for the attempted murder of Gloomtail," said Agon fiercely, standing up in a flash and getting worked up. "Not only were they great friends of mine, but the two of them just wanted to be with each other as brother and sister. Nooooooo, your 'heroic' plumber of a sibling **had** to take that away. They even talked about the possibility of amnesty with your older brother, but I guess that's not going to happen now, will it?! Hooktail has been taken away from me because of Mario! I want to kill him!"

He breathed heavily while clenching his fists. The dark-brown eyed man paced around the sitting room, trying to cool his upcoming rage. Angel rounded on Luigi and King Boo, both taken back slightly by Agon's sudden change in attitude, with an unsmiling facial expression.

"You know why we're here, tell us whatever you know of Mario and the Black Apparitions." she said in an frigid tone.

"Very well then, I'll give you information on everything I know." stated Luigi with a grave nod of civility.

He and King Boo said all they knew: Mario had willingly joined forces with Bowser Koopa, betraying his green-capped brother in the process. Having taken place in the Dark Land within the greater territory, the Mario Brothers were prepared for a battle of all battles against the villainous reptilian. At the very last moment, the red and blue man turned against Luigi: Mario unleashed a powerful fireball aimed at his former flesh and blood in an attempt to kill him. Luigi had taken mortal damage and was luckily thrown into unconsciousness and not death. Before that, he caught the last glimpse of Mario and Bowser standing together in laughter before being picked up by the son of the Koopa King, Bowser Junior, in a vehicle dubbed the Koopa Clown Car.

As for the Black Apparitions, it turned out that they had no base of operations at Mushroom City: the true location was unknown. Anyone in the faction forced into interrogation was automatically programmed with convincing, yet fraudulent information, which would consequently lead their pursuers away. These facts were new and unexpected; the looks on Agon and especially Angel were off-putting to say the least.

"Just what we needed... an already well-hidden group with brainwashed false intelligence." commented Agon with an irritated shake of his head.

"We've been mislead," said Angel dangerously, suggesting that she was offended by this wild goose chase. "I cannot believe that my telepathy couldn't detect the difference. They were able to deceive me. This won't be forgotten..."

"Don't get too worked up about it, those boys always had this uncanny ability of keeping themselves secret," responded King Boo in a dismissive voice. "Mario and Bowser are the real targets anyway."

"Those two? Fine by me, as long as I get my – **our** vengeance for Hooktail." said Agon, including the rookie Digimon in the vow.

When Luigi spoke up next, his voice was in an understanding tone.

"I think we'll be able to cooperate with each other. We all have something in common: payback. King Boo wants Bowser while you, Angel and I want to get our hands on my former brother Mario. Yes, I think this will do. What do you say?"

The skinny green plumber held out a hand, awaiting Agon and Angel's decision. They looked at each other with musing expressions on their characters.

"Very tempting indeed..." uttered Agon as he bowed his head down in thought, clasping his hands together.

The golden vixen scanned her blue eyes over Luigi and King Boo before speaking. Without their knowledge, she quickly entered both of their minds to detect any skulduggery or deceit. This was also done out of vexation that her sixth sense had failed to uncover the ploy behind the fake information: the blue-eyed cybernetic Koopa had been virtually useless this whole time. The only good thing from this was that she and Agon ended up with potential allies that could aid them in their journey.

"Hmm... you don't appear to be lying to us, so I know what you have said so far isn't fabricated," said Angel calmly. "Are you certain that Mario is in league with this Bowser Koopa?"

"Positive," affirmed Luigi with a hard look on his mustachioed face. "After all, he tried to take me out while I didn't expect it. I want retribution on my own brother. This goes beyond being his shadow and sidekick, it's personal now."

"And what of you? Why concern yourself in these affairs?" continued Angel as she faced the large circular Boo.

"Bowser and I used to be allies before he decided to break our coalition," said King Boo rather venomously, seething at the thought. "The moment he attacked my fellow Boos, that was the final straw. And Mario joining in the fun as well? Heh, that only makes me even angrier and thirstier for payback. **If** the both of you are willing to accompany us in this quest for revenge, we may all be able to get what we desire..."

The tall yellow fox scrutinized the two for another moment while Agon remained silent, still in the same brooding position. An offering like this sounded beneficial and the additional help was always welcome. What was the decisive option in all this?

"Agon?" said Angel, focusing her attention on the small man.

"Hmm?" he grunted while thinking deeply to himself.

"Should we cooperate with these two? I'm not going without you, so take your time."

"Yeah, what your friend said," Luigi pointed out as he stood up from the couch. "There's no rush at the moment. If you want some rest, I'll show the both of you to a guest bedroom upstairs."

"Sure, if that's okay with him." said Agon, motioning to the floating Lord of Boos, who shrugged his stubby arms.

"Be our guests." said King Boo with a kind smile.

Luigi led the way with Agon and Angel following after him. The trio navigated through various hallways and a flight of stairs to the second floor; they walked down a short corridor before entering through a door. Inside was an open bedroom that was generally grand-looking, with its exquisite carpeting, queen-sized bed, velvet window curtains, dark red wallpaper and marble floor and ceiling. A nightstand sat beside the bed that had an ornate lamp on top while a chandelier rested from above: it was turned on via a light switch flipped by Luigi. There was a dresser opposite of the bed and a closet to the left of the bedroom door. A clean full-length mirror was close to the nightstand.

"How about this? What a fancy interior you've got here." remarked Agon appreciatively as he searched the posh room.

"Think nothing of it," said Luigi, his gloved hands in his pockets. "Hopefully, you'll be real comfortable in this environment."

"Absolutely. Thank you Luigi, your hospitality is truly pleasing." said Angel with a friendly look in her eyes.

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to it, so have yourself a good night."

After Luigi left, the twenty-six year old placed his gear on the dresser, including his armor and robe. He removed his gray boots and, without consideration, collapsed on the huge soft bed; he wrapped the pure white blankets over him. Angel made herself comfortable on the other side, having removed her gloves, scarf, hood and blade. They were situated on the dresser next to Agon's inventory. The moment she was in the bed, she scooted close to the tired human and threw her arms around him, who turned and reciprocated the cuddly action. He had a visible pink hue on his face.

"Still eager and affectionate as ever I see. Thanks." stated Agon weakly due to sleepiness and slight embarrassment.

"You're so adorable when you blush, you know that?" said Angel, giggling playfully as she nuzzled his nose with her own.

"I know... I can't help it though, because it's a natural reaction to your wonderful nature," admitted Agon while also snuggling back. "Your hugs are simply delightful."

The expression bestowed upon him was intense with care and kindliness, so much that it could have melted his heart entirely. She kissed him on the lips, clearly moved by his touching words. This act of platonic love had shocked the small human into a concise state of euphoria. He flashed a heartwarming smile at Angel.

"You are literally the best friend I've ever had," announced Agon. "If only Hooktail could receive your affection as well..."

The tall fox heard the sorrow through his otherwise blissful tone. Angel moved even closer to Agon, determined to consume him with her protective love. When she spoke, her gentle voice carried an exceedingly comforting tone that sought to pacify an emotionally vulnerable being.

"I know Agon, she was a magnificent friend. I believe that somewhere in the afterlife, Hooktail is smiling upon us right now, happy for what you did and for our friendship. I promise you, her death will not be in vain. We must relax for now and allow ourselves to recuperate for tomorrow."

"Yes, I have to agree with you on that last point. It'll be really good once we start tracking down Mario..." said Agon with dark resolution.

"For our fallen companion Hooktail." whispered Angel intently.

"For Hooktail." echoed Agon.

The pair had finally succumbed to a deep slumber, holding each other tightly. Their thick, fleecy blankets and the insurmountable bond between the two kept them warm throughout the cool night.

* * *

The next morning arrived: radiant sunlight beams penetrated the heavy curtains and into the luxurious guest bedroom. A few grayish-white clouds were present, but the blue sky was clear overall. The outside of the Mansion had an air of tranquility and peace, unlike its counterpart in the video game, Luigi's Mansion. It was not dark, eerie or spooky within the Boo Woods; rather, things were quiet. Numerous Boo Buddies hovered here and there without much care, apparently fine with the fact that their king was on good relations with their enemy. The barren, misshapen trees were nowhere as foreboding in contrast to the full moon atmosphere. The house of grandeur itself lacked that spectral aura and looked to be very well-maintained, as if it never aged once or was tainted by a foreign entity.

Agon woke up first and, after many attempts in squirming himself from Angel's vice grip, rose from the queen-sized bed. Out of curiosity, he walked over to the mirror and observed himself: there was a healthy man with light-brown skin who wore casual clothing. He had dark-brown eyes, no hair on his head, a bit of a sloping forehead, decently large ears and thick eyebrows. His lips were slightly chapped while the rest of his face looked somewhat rugged.

Even though Agon was short in height, his body was quite muscular; it matched up to a prizefighter's physique. The years of streetfighting and kickboxing lessons from his older brother Otto had been good on him. His chest, midsection, arms, shoulders, legs; they were proportionate to his overall height of five feet and three inches and weight of one-hundred fifty pounds. He was fairly taken back by his sturdy appearance, having thought that his build would have been smaller and perhaps leaner. It had been a very long time since he last saw himself in the mirror. Agon was sure that he was constantly intact because of Angel's healing abilities in her ultimate form.

His dark eyes became vacant: he suddenly experienced a mental flashback of when he and the fox Digimon had first met.

* * *

_Soundlessly and suddenly, a slender figure materialized in Gloomtail's sanctum: it was the golden fox from earlier, back at Rogueport. She stared at the dead corpse that was Agon and contemplated him for a moment's silence. The shadowy vixen's face was nearly concealed by her dark purple hood and scarf, but upon closer inspection, she could be seen wearing the tiniest look of grief. Thankfully, she had something for this situation..._

_This fox-like creature took out a trinket that resembled a gold ankh, which was shimmering robustly in sharp contrast to the almost pitch-black room. She placed it on top of Agon's blackened chest and waited. The object disappeared the instant it made contact as his entire body was engulfed in a dazzling flash of yellow-orange light. After the aura dissolved, all traces of his wounds were suddenly gone, as if they were never there to begin with. It had taken several seconds before the human stirred quietly, his eyes slowly opening back to life._

_Agon saw the one who had resurrected him from Death: the golden fox took off her hood and revealed her face, the brilliant cobalt eyes staring at his dark brown ones tenderly. He was incapable of speech momentarily, wondering how this mysterious, yet captivating creature found her way here. Who was this and why did she save him?_

"_Are you okay?" she asked, her calm voice echoing in the large room._

_Agon merely nodded in extreme gratitude, but was rather scared at the same time._

"_It's a good thing I managed to find you here. It must not have been a pleasant experience when you died. Your entire body took such a beating..."_

_He kept quiet and listened with an uneasy feeling in his gut._

"_Well, I was fortunate to have found that artifact then..." she went on. "Still, you are completely vulnerable and I'm positive that trying to go on your own now would be dangerous."_

"_..."_

"_Don't be intimidated by me, I'm not going to hurt you..." the golden fox said, trying to assure him. "I know I look ice cold at first, but I have a really kind personality inside."_

"_..."_

_Agon was still frightened of her appearance, eyeing the weapon fastened to her waist with great caution._

"_You're wondering about the blade I've got here, aren't you? I won't cut you down with it, nor would I use my abilities to harm you. I'm not evil."_

"_...Thanks for saving me." the short man said meekly._

_The lean vixen smiled at him and wrapped her fluffy tail around the human, out of protection and comfort._

"_Who are you?" asked Agon with curiosity as he found himself eased by her affectionate action._

"_I'm a Digital Monster, or Digimon for short, called Renamon. You can just refer to me as Rena for short, if you want."_

* * *

Such a terribly long time now, back when she was only known as a Renamon. Agon had assumed she was the same Renamon from the series. Her name was Angel; this was fitting because it reinforced her personality of an actual guardian angel. She had resurrected him from the dead on her own volition. She wanted to watch over the little man, love him and shield him from any type of danger. The yellow fox was a friend of all friends who devoted her life to be on his side at all times. A thankful smile appeared on the heavy face of Agon: he owed everything to Angel, the one that had saved him from death. She was awesome.

She was here with him at this present moment, on a quest to destroy the one that took the crimson dragoness Hooktail away. The red-capped plumber Mario would eventually get his, even if it meant sacrificing his life again. He was overjoyed that Angel was still accompanying him. It was incredibly comforting knowing that there was someone fighting alongside him.

With an in-depth frown, his thoughts transitioned to the discussion from last night: the far-fetched alliance between Mario and Bowser. Agon wondered what the once-iconic man of the Mushroom Kingdom had been thinking, combining forces with the Koopa King. There had to be some logical or personal reasoning behind his uncharacteristic motives. He and Luigi were all set to take down the wicked warmonger once and for all, when the green plumber had been back-stabbed. That alone had to be a turning point; they were recognized as the Mario Brothers for a reason. Agon also pondered how Princess Peach, the Monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom, took these news, if she was even aware that Mario was a turncoat now.

Even though there wasn't any more real information on the Black Apparitions, Agon and Angel were nevertheless fortunate to meet with latent allies who wanted similar goals. Luigi wanted to repay Mario for the attempted surprise attack: King Boo was willing to parlay with his arch-nemesis as he had once worked with Bowser before the Koopa King turned on him, attacking the crowned Boo's fellow subjects. This had the possibility of being an unusual alliance in more than one way.

Ending his thought process, he gathered all of his gear. Wearing the black robe and the damaged green armor again, Agon walked over to the slumbering vixen. She was an angel in peace within the snowy sheets. Out of sheer affection for her, he tried to carry Angel in his arms. He was successful, though it had taken a couple of attempts to do so without waking her. The young man was nearly out of the bedroom when he collided face first into the edge of the opened door. He was knocked back several steps before slipping and dropping to the floor onto his back.

'_...Owwww... I screwed this up badly..._' thought Agon, feeling a painful sensation in his face and back. His expression scrunched up in reflex while he tried to brush off the unnecessary incident.

At this very moment, Angel stirred. She yawned as she opened her eyes to see a crash-landed human beneath her. With a devilish grin, the tall Renamon shifted herself on top of Agon.

"Hello there. I knew what you were trying to do." she said, embracing the short man.

"Really? And what would that be?" said Agon in a pretending tone.

"You know what. It was really kind of you to do so, though I imagine falling to the floor wasn't part of the plan."

"Guess I should have left you alone instead, huh? I contemplated sneaking out of here..."

Angel chortled lightheartedly as she shot Agon a challenging smirk.

"Wouldn't matter. Even in my sleep, I can still detect your presence. Just accept it: you can't escape me."

"What makes you think I'm not about to try now?" responded Agon, ready to prove her wrong.

Even before he started, Angel stood up first. She lifted and clenched him in a bear hug: it wasn't to the point of suffocation, but tight enough that the small man couldn't get out. So much for that...

"You're not going anywhere." she stated in a bantering way, gently squeezing him.

Angel was right about that. His physical struggles had proven to be in vain: the height difference only worsened the situation. This wasn't at all the first time that she decided to be rascally. It was all in good playfulness, because the duo was merely entertaining each other.

"Won't complain..." murmured Agon happily while burying his broad face into her fluffy mane.

She just smiled warmly as they enjoyed the rapturous hug for a long time. Eventually, Agon was released. She had put on her gloves, scarf, hood and blade before gazing upon the dark-brown eyed man again: Angel nodded to him, ready to move out.

"Let's go find Luigi and King Boo." said Agon, opening the bedroom door leading to the halls.

The two affectionate friends navigated their way to the first floor. They met with Luigi along the way: the three of them greeted each other on this fine morning. King Boo appeared from behind Agon and Angel in an attempt of a jump-scare. The twenty-six year old flinched violently on his spot while the golden fox crossed her arms with a tiny smirk, having sensed the big ghost ahead of time. The Lord of Boos responded to the Digimon by childishly sticking out his wagging pink tongue at her.

They arrived at the kitchen, where there was breakfast awaiting the group. Hash browns, bacon, eggs, toast with jelly and glasses of milk or water sat on the dining table, courtesy of Luigi: he was an adept cook from having watched over the Pipe House during Mario's adventures. All four took their seats and began eating. King Boo, while in reality a dead soul, seemed able to consume the delicious delicacies: Angel also took part in the breakfast feast even though Digimon (well, her at least) didn't actually need to eat for survival. She was capable of enjoying the tasty food while it would later be converted into data, nullifying the usage of a washroom for disposal purposes. Eating succulent meals was always a positive stimulus.

"Really good cooking skills here," commented Agon with a mouthful of bacon and hash. "This is quite delectable."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's just some everyday stuff most people have in the morning." said Luigi humbly as he sipped his glass of milk.

"Still impressive by my standards. How are you liking it so far?" Agon said to Angel.

"I love this!" exclaimed Angel jubilantly. "You're a great chef Luigi. I don't even need to eat, but I haven't had something like this in a long time."

The man in green and blue looked flattered as he said in a touched voice, "Thank you. It's always nice to find others that take pleasure in my home cooked meals."

"Indeed. I will agree with them, you have some ability in culinary arts," added in King Boo, gobbling up his share. "I'm a ghost king and even I find this breakfast to be scrumptious."

An hour later, after savoring the meals and engaging in a casual conversation, they cleaned up and headed into the sitting room. The four of them took their spots on the couches and faced each other. It was time to pick off where they left in their discussion.

"Well, what else do you need to know?" asked the younger brother in green.

"Any other information in regards to the Black Apparitions. We all kind of have an idea on Mario, but what of these nearly-invisible mercenaries?" said Agon, leaning forward slightly.

"I can't really say much about them. Those black robed soldiers are almost non-existent in a conventional sense. If you really want them that badly, I think you're out of luck. Mario is our man anyway. It's just a matter of tracking him down..."

That was perfectly true. The red-capped plumber had been the one responsible for pulling the trigger on Hooktail. The Black Apparitions, despite their mercilessness, were paid contracts and nothing else. Maybe they weren't a high priority...

"So you're theorizing that Mario and Bowser are constantly moving from place to place?" questioned Angel, peering at Luigi through the dark-purple hood and scarf.

"It's a strong possibility. I doubt that they are still at the castle in Dark Land or whatever. Right now, we don't have any leads to either of their exact whereabouts."

"Damn... you have a point there," cursed Agon as he frowned. "They **could** be anywhere..."

King Boo suddenly cackled, letting out a series of screeches. The other three turned to address him.

"I might not know where Mario is, but I can definitely track down my so-called traitorous ally Bowser," the Lord of Boos said with confidence. "I just need to turn invisible and search his bases..."

"Can you really do that?" inquired Agon curiously.

"Of course! I've been with him in many places while we worked together. He has various castles, so this may take some time. Once it's done, I'll gather up the remnants of my Booish Army and take him down! Leave him to me..."

And it was at this point that King Boo dissipated and hovered through the wall, beginning his hunt for the Koopa King. The twenty-six year old looked at Luigi; his eyes had a theoretic inspiration in them.

"Listen, you knew Mario better than any of us," began Agon seriously. "Just try to think of where he **could** be. This is likely a hunch of mine, but I'm sure Bowser doesn't completely trust Mario a hundred percent. No way he's holed up in any of his castles let alone the Koopa territory. Yeah they're allies, but they aren't 'friends'. He's too smart to stay close to his former arch-nemesis. Your brother could easily be operating alone."

There was a short moment of silence. The younger sibling of Mario slowly realized what Agon's point was and nodded toward him.

"Well... Mario has been in countless places during his escapades. You're probably right. We'll have to do some deductions then." agreed Luigi, his facial expression earnest and understanding.

"The sooner, the better." pointed out Angel as her blue eyes narrowed a bit.

"Okay, I'll throw out some names..."

* * *

Outside of Luigi's Mansion, a lone figure in a black robe stared ahead, his scarlet bionic eyes ominous and aggressive. He turned around and gestured toward at what seemed like thin air: thirty Black Apparitions had suddenly appeared out of nowhere (invisibility devices), all with gray or black shells and sporting the same robes. Their cybernetic eyes contained various colors such as blue, green, red, yellow and purple. They were equipped with blaster pistols, scatterguns, flashlight repeaters, plasma cannons and pulse grenades. The leader of the group spoke in a robotic-like voice, yielding no emotion.

"Location reached. Eliminate the target Luigi and all other hostiles in our path."

All of them marched forward, weapons at the ready. The nearby Boos fled into the woods, terrified by the presence of these cloaked mercenaries. One of the robed Koopas kicked down the double doors and stormed in; the rest soon followed after him.

**(Well, I went to town on this one. It ended up being almost six-thousand words in length. Hopefully, this plot will go somewhere from here. You all have yourself a fine day now and of course, there will be more to this.)**

**(Let me summarize the changes for my Renamon OC: Magimon and Archmagimon replace the original evolutions of Taomon and Sakuyamon. I also altered Angel's ultimate appearance to make her look more like an actual caster or mage. Basically, the names come from 'Magician' and 'Arch Magician'. She also has a final form called Guardiamon, though I'm deciding on that at the moment. That's the trouble with progressive development: it doesn't occur right away. For now, I think I rectified whatever I could.)**


	16. Another One Bites the Dust

**Another One Bites the Dust**

The massive black dragon Gloomtail was at the spot where his baby sister had fallen: the plains outside of Hooktail Castle. During Agon and Angel's absences, he remained here and brooded over her death. They had been savoring their time as brother and sister before the red-capped plumber took her away. How dare he tear apart their sibling relations by sending a band of money-seeking thugs to murder Hooktail! Gloomtail stood strong with a circle of dead corpses that used to be the Black Apparitions. In addition to the first wave defeated a while back, there were at least twenty on sight. His arsenal of attacks had thwarted Mario's mercs completely.

Why couldn't the man himself show up to finish the job? Why keep sending cronies to do the work in his stead? The least he could have done was face the dark dragon like an actual fighter.

Like his little human friend, he missed his sister dearly: she was family and her demise was unreal in the sense that he and Hooktail were supposedly already deceased, at least in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Oh, how he sought to avenge her twice as much now that she actually had been destroyed. Gloomtail thought of different methods of decimating that cowardly man in red overalls and blue shirt. Stomping, burning, chomping, all of the above, it wasn't enough for someone that committed the assassination out of cold blood. And to think the red female dragon discussed the possibility of friendship with Mario...

Even if the renowned plumber knew that Hooktail and Gloomtail were benign, would he believe either of them? It was beyond that in any case. Mario seemed to have taken the two dragons to heart, turning it into a personal vendetta. Agon and Angel, on the other hand, had accepted them as their companions without much hesitation. This was especially given that the twenty-six year old was the first to eagerly befriend his cherished sister. Thinking deeply, Gloomtail recalled the time of their first encounter:

* * *

"_Who's there?!"_

_Agon said nothing, but merely waited as Gloomtail glared menacingly at him._

"_No one's disturbed me here in eons! Not since that red plumber Mario and his crew!"_

"_..."_

"_Who dares defile this sacred place?!"_

_Agon continued to remain silent, staring at Gloomtail somewhat expressionlessly. He himself had no idea how he suddenly became fearless in the face of possible danger._

"_Well, say something! You're awfully quiet for someone who is about to meet a terrible demise..."_

_He crossed his arms with some difficulty, maintaining the same look on his face. The black dragon was slightly bemused and thrown off by the man's initial attitude._

"_Really? You're not even going to utter a single word or make a grunt or something like that? You must either be mute or you're very confident to come here and face me in battle, all alone."_

"_..."_

"_It's your move, mortal. What are you going to do?"_

_Agon thought for a long while, before an idea materialized in his mental process._

"_Hooktail." was all he said to the huge dark beast._

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" roared Gloomtail in utter bewilderment._

"_She is your sister, yes?"_

"_That's right! How could you possibly know...?"_

_The twenty-six year old suddenly grinned at him, amused by this reaction._

"_I found her in Hooktail Castle. She's still alive and well."_

"_My precious baby sister, still living even after Mario defeated her?" said Gloomtail softly, becoming anxious upon the statement._

_Agon nodded slowly._

"_You came all the way here, just to tell me that?"_

_Again, the small human nodded._

"_And you didn't harm her in anyway? You're not allied with the man in red and blue?"_

_He shook his head at both questions. After a short silence between the two, the gigantic black dragon's face broke into a warm smile._

"_Then you are a friend to both I and my sister, human. What is your name?" he asked kindly._

"_Agon Archibald Peters."_

* * *

Of course, how could the brotherly dragon forget this particular event? The short human was the primary reason that he and Hooktail had been brought together again. Agon gave them a second chance in life, free from the oppressive Shadow Queen: he was eternally thankful of that. Gloomtail remembered being overjoyed that the red dragoness still lived despite the past battle against Mario. She had also been equally jubilant to see her long-lost brother in person. When they saw each other again, a touching reunion between the two siblings had taken place. Now, Bonetail was gone and so was Hooktail.

"Mario, if I ever see you again, you will regret having murdered my young sister... I will personally make sure that your death is extremely slow, agonizing and full of torment. I promise you that." vowed Gloomtail, his deep voice sinister and full of rage.

He looked down at the decaying carnage that was his sister. A grieved expression was present as his crimson eyes became tender; it seemed like tears were imminent.

"Hooky... I'm so sorry... don't you worry, your death will **not** be in vain."

A few seconds later, a single teardrop had leaked from his right eye. There was no use hiding this feeling of sorrow and mental suffering: he wanted her back. He let himself cry, not caring whether someone was watching his act of emotional weakness. Gloomtail eventually ceased his distress and forced himself to turn away. To see his beloved sibling dead on the ground any longer would only debilitate his aching heart even more.

The sixty-foot creature simply gazed ahead: his saddened eyes transformed into burning anger at an unwelcome sight that decided to show up. Meters in front of him, the brother of Luigi himself was there with his Ultra Hammer held in his white gloved hands. He had his hat with the letter 'M' on it, red overalls, long-sleeved blue shirt and a pair of light-brown shoes. There was no mistaking that big nose and very dark-brown mustache. A large red shell with wings was underneath his right shoe, ready to be kicked harder than a soccer ball or football.

Gloomtail brought both of his front feet down. There was enough force behind it to shatter the innocent ground beneath him. Mario was unfazed by this intimidation as the black dragon roared at him, a barrage of emerald flames being spewed out from his mouth.

"MARIO! You will pay for destroying my precious young sister! When I'm done crushing you like the pathetic mortal you are, I'll ground your bones into dust and incinerate them to nothing! Come, finish this once and for all! Just you and I!"

Gloomtail reared back, as if he was about to literally drop himself straight onto the red plumber. Mario said nothing as a small cruel smile appeared on his lips. His light-blue eyes flashed threateningly with a twisted eagerness behind them. He brandished his gold and red hammer and began the battle by kicking the Lazy Shell toward the dark dragon.

* * *

"Just keep it all coming," bellowed Agon maddeningly as he fired shot after shot from his dual blaster pistols. "It only means more of you will perish under my hand!"

The short man was making an impetuous stand at the entrance of Luigi's Mansion, using the worn double-doors for cover against the incoming laser fire. He had managed to drive back the remaining third of the Black Apparitions outside the steps; the others were dead bodies within the manor.

Agon was terribly injured, his robe and armor hanging on by mere fragments while his clothes were scorched and tattered. The familiar red haze had appeared on his rough face: blood oozed from the eyes, nose, mouth and forehead. His left leg and right arm was also in bad shape due to a few unlucky shots from the cloaked Koopas. These wounds, unsurprisingly, worked him up into an adrenaline-soaked frenzy.

"Push me then! Push me! I've not been in a fight like this for a while! I will murder you all!" he shouted crazily while charging into the fray.

Luigi and Angel were somewhere else at the moment, at the insistence of Agon. A mild argument between he and Angel had gone on before she eventually accepted his somewhat foolhardy choice. He would cover their escape and attempt to ward off the mercenaries while they teleported to Toad Town for safety. Agon was fully aware that Angel could definitely fight, but he felt, possibly by an act of heroic chivalry or because he wanted the action to himself, that she didn't need to be dragged into this fight. He hoped that the two of them were able to successfully vacate this dangerous warzone.

Back to the fight, Agon wiped out seven more of these cybers. The remaining three had actually begun to retreat: it was out of fear that this one man was nearly able to single-handedly eliminate an entire force of elite soldiers. Fear, while considered to be foreign among the Black Apparitions, was evident in their glowing mechanical implants.

A Koopa with red eyes was unfortunate in his escape as Agon blasted him with a plasma cannon. The energy laser from it made contact with his corpse and disintegrated into a large pile of residue. The other two halted and got on their knees, begging the berserk human to show mercy. He relented, but only after administering the same fate to his companion. Now it was just Agon and this green-eyed reptilian. The little man pressed his boot down onto the lone Koopa's body.

"I should just kill you on the spot now," said the crimson-covered man, grinning wickedly from his bloodlust. "You guys took away Hooktail, my lady in red. She was one of my closest friends and **anyone** that had a hand in her destruction will answer to me!"

"N – N - No! Mercy, please! I'll tell you everything I know! Everything! P - Please don't kill me..." the green cyber pleaded, frightened of Agon.

He proceeded to explain all the information he knew. They had a base of operations within the Palace of Shadow. Mario had secretly built a personal army there, slowly enlisting those that wanted gold coins and something to kill. The Black Apparitions consisted of specialized Koopa Troopas and Toads with backgrounds as professional killers and assassins. Having a remorseless trait was optional, but highly recommended; Mario himself had announced that point. All recruits had been outfitted with various cybernetic enhancements, the most common one being their eyes. Luigi was marked for death by these hired guns: the red-capped plumber somehow knew that the man in green survived back in Dark Land and was relentlessly hunting his own brother down. This had all happened before Mario joined Bowser, much to the surprise of Agon: he thought that the leader of the Koopa Clan had something to do with the Black Apparitions.

The green-eyed Koopa also revealed that the red plumber planned to assemble his forces and commit to a joint attack with the Koopa King. Their prime target was the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad Town. After that, they would spearhead their offensive toward Princess Peach's Castle. The time of this proposed campaign was unknown.

Despite all these news, there was one fatal bit Agon was most concerned with: Mario was on his way to finish off Gloomtail, the robed Koopa had said. He must have realized that the two groups he sent to kill the black dragon were taken out. What other reason was there in Mario coming to do the job himself? For him, it was one of those 'do-it-yourself' situations with that sense of incompetence among his subordinates.

This interrogation proved to be very juicy, because things were finally getting somewhere now. The one detail Agon paid much attention to was that Mario brought himself in the open. He was anxiously excited: he knew where, but how could he get there without Angel's teleportation? It was an unneeded enigma. This was the last thing he wanted right now, especially with his friend Gloomtail in danger. Mario was a lot more formidable than he looked underneath the silent exterior.

"Well, well, well, seems like you were helpful this time," said Agon, calming down as he helped the lone Koopa onto his feet. "That means you're free to go."

"Really? Oh thank you! Thank you! I'll leave the Black Apparitions and start a new life on my own. I don't want any more trouble from you. I only joined for the money anyway..." answered the green-eyed turtle in massive relief.

"Then leave. Off you go now."

Agon mercifully spared the Koopa from oblivion and allowed him to leave: he may have tendencies of reckless abandon, but he wasn't heartless. The number one priority was to get to Gloomtail, but how? It was too far by foot and Angel was with Luigi.

His forgotten injuries had finally taken a toll on him. Agon found himself on the ground, his damaged body on the right side. There was no way to continue his mission in this condition. He seemed to reluctantly realize this as a grim expression of helplessness was engraved on his dark-red face. In addition to his overzealous desire for combat, he had not truly figured out how much he counted upon Angel to sustain him.

"Aaagh! These damned battle wounds..." grunted Agon in heavy torment. "At this rate..."

It took much effort to force himself back up. After he stood on all fours and did his best to reorient himself, Agon began crawling toward the Mansion. As much as the muscular man desired to aid Gloomtail, his physical trauma and the dramatic loss of blood was too much to keep going. He had no other option but to rest.

Agon had just entered the foyer before his entire system failed; he became unconscious.

* * *

The battle between the great dark dragon and the silent plumber went on. It was clear that Gloomtail was on the verge of defeat. Mario, on the other hand, wasn't even scratched let alone touched. He had successfully evaded all attacks that the sixty-foot beast threw out.

"Grrrr... I won't be slain so easily!" yelled Gloomtail in desperation. "I'll hit you with everything I've got! FEEL MY WRATH!"

He began charging himself up, a faint rainbow aura appearing around the enormous body. Mario acted with all haste by taking out a Star from a pocket of his overalls. He harnessed the energy from it and became a sparkling man of invincibility, as well as powering him with increased strength. Mario followed up by kicking the Lazy Shell toward Gloomtail's head while immediately leaping into the air. He then struck the head with his Ultra Hammer at the same time that the winged shell reached its target. The brotherly dragon had fallen: his entire head was missing from the resulting attack by Mario. A volcano of scarlet liquid erupted from the gaping hole of his neck. Gloomtail was no more.

Mario stared at the devastation before him, drinking in his victories. He eliminated all three Tail dragons: Hooktail, Gloomtail and Bonetail. Finally, the deed was done. His revenge was complete. He let himself beam happily for a long while before leaving the two corpses to rot.

There was the matter of dealing with his former brother Luigi. He had lived after the fireball attack he conjured, having hurled the projectile at his back. It greatly injured him, but unconsciousness was not enough. No, he needed to be rid of. His goody-two-shoes of a sibling refused to take part in his journey, merely because it meant fraternizing with an arch-nemesis of theirs. Luigi knew too much, far too much about him anyhow. After he was taken care of, Mario would move on to his next step of the plan.

* * *

"Are you going to be all right here?" asked Angel, facing the green man.

"Yeah, thanks," said Luigi gratefully. "Those Black Apparitions have been on my case for a while now. It's something to do with my brother. I guess he figured out that I lived and have been on the run since then."

They were at Toad Town, the hub of the Mushroom Kingdom. Up ahead was Princess Peach's Castle. Luigi and Angel walked through the large community of buildings, passing by the many species that hung around. It was a good day outside with some clouds scattered here and there. A gentle whisper of wind blew in as the yellow sun gleamed, filling the entire area with nurturing light. Not long, the two arrived at the foot of the castle.

"I'll be fine from here. You go and return to your friend Agon while I talk to Peach about Mario." said Luigi, gesturing toward the medieval stronghold.

"Does she know about your brother's desertion to Bowser?" questioned Angel.

"Oh yeah, it's quite hard to miss it when Mario had the legendary status for saving the princess countless times from that scaly monster. His name is still plastered all over the kingdom. You could say his recent betrayal made him infamous."

"Perhaps this Peach could help us search for Mario."

The green-capped man nodded as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That's why I'm going to speak with her," he said. "see if she's gotten anything on her end. The news of my brother joining Bowser took place a while back you know. Her people have been looking for him to no avail, but maybe today's the day. Who knows? I'll be hanging around here afterwards if you or Agon need me."

"What of the crowned ghost?" inquired Angel, thinking about King Boo.

"Don't worry, he'll help us too. He and Peach are allies. It's likely that they'll eventually make their move on Bowser. Let's stay on Mario for the time being since he's our main concern."

"Very well then. I must attend to my friend if we're finished here."

After Luigi waved goodbye to her, the Digimon in her rookie form watched him move further into the castle entrance. The moment he disappeared, her blue eyes narrowed. She sensed that her human friend needed her.

"Agon, my best friend... I hate the thought of you in danger. You know I would have stayed with you." she uttered to himself before teleporting to Luigi's Mansion.

* * *

The yellow kitsune arrived at the front entrance, where the dead corpses of the Black Apparitions laid. It was obvious that the short man was responsible for this bloodshed. Angel ran toward the massive structure and got inside the foyer. There, she saw a bloodied mess of a human who appeared to be sleeping. She knew he was only unconscious from her sixth sense. Nonetheless, it didn't stop Angel from wearing a look of great concern; she did not like to see him hurt in anyway, shape or form. She quickly changed into her ultimate form Magimon and channeled a restoration healing spell on the brutally wounded Agon.

Seconds later, all of his injuries and trauma were gone. He woke up and found a nine foot robed fox smiling in heavy relief. Once again, she saved him from possible death. He thought to himself that he needed to stop getting into mortal danger so much: the thick of combat was tempting and often exhilarating, but at a probable cost of his life. Agon grinned back thankfully at the towering vixen.

"My guardian angel - " he started while his eyes were composed, placid and grateful.

" - is here for you." she finished, picking him up in her sleeved arms.

No more words were said. They walked out of the Mansion and, after a few moments of distancing themselves from the ruination, rested in the Boo Woods. Most of the Boos had come back when they saw that the Black Apparitions were all gone. They wandered around, minding their own business; occasionally, one or two darted back to glance at the two non-ghost beings in curiosity. Angel gazed down at the little man with a friendly smile.

"Are you okay?" the Magimon asked in a tender voice.

"Yeah, thanks to you," replied Agon appreciatively. "Those guys were all tougher than the first group we fought. I underestimated them."

"You had me worried back there for a moment. I hate seeing you in that kind of state, even if you weren't about to die."

The fully-recovered man laughed in response to her concern.

"I've taken far worse. It wasn't anywhere as awful compared to Creepy Steeple. You remember that."

She nodded gravely: at the time, Agon had been a half-dead skeleton due to his craziness in prolonged battles. An earnest, yet caring facial expression appeared within the quilted silver hood and gray scarf.

"Still, don't do that again. Next time, I'm staying with you, no exceptions." Angel stated firmly, glaring upon his dark eyes.

"Can't disagree with you there. Is Luigi all right? He got to Toad Town safely?"

"He's in one piece. He also said that he'll be talking to someone called Princess Peach to help us in our mission."

Agon raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips together.

"Hmm, I guess she knew about Mario consorting with the Koopa Clan the whole time. Well, more help is always appreciated." There was a period of brief silence before he suddenly added in a frantic voice, "We gotta head back to the outside of Hooktail Castle."

Angel noticed the panicked tone and promptly stood up with the small man still in her arms.

"What's wrong?" she asked seriously.

"It's Gloomtail. No time to explain, we gotta get there pronto. Just hope it's not too late..."

He couldn't, didn't want to think about that: Hooktail was already gone. If what the green-eyed Koopa from earlier said was true, then Gloomtail was already in battle against Mario. What mattered at this urgent moment was that the two of them made their move immediately. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The familiar white aura covered the human and the ultimate Digimon for seconds before disappearing.

* * *

Agon and Angel were at the location where Hooktail had died. The twenty-six year old whipped out his dual blasters and whirled around repeatedly, trying to catch sight of the red and blue plumber. Mario was nowhere to be found, but something much worse had caught his eye: the headless body of Gloomtail. Resting beside the red heap that was his dear sister, he joined Hooktail in the afterlife thanks to Mario. They had been too late.

Agon turned away and faced Angel with what seemed like a hollow, vacuous expression on his face. His dark-brown eyes were lifeless, as if it had been drained by a thirsty vampire that thrived on despair. This empty look on him was almost instantly replaced with enormous rage; anger beyond comprehension, an unconquerable arousal to kill the one that had now taken away both Tail dragons. He gripped his pistols so tightly that both hands had turned pale-white. In his mind was only one thing: the death of Mario and he no longer cared at what cost.

"..." Agon could say nothing during this atrocious situation. He merely clenched his eyes shut and mourned for his dragon companions. Though it was a tiny comfort, they were brother and sister in death.

"He will get what's coming to him, I promise you. Their deaths must be avenged." declared Angel, her tone suppressing the building anger. She found it very difficult to control her rare fury.

The short, sturdy man was filled with murderous sorrow to the point that he never saw the Magimon evolving to a higher level. A blinding orange light obscured her entirely for a moment. After the transformation had finished, she became Archmagimon, her mega form. He snapped out of his regret and opened his eyes, wondering where the burst of light had come from. His facial expression momentarily became that of immense shock and stupefaction.

"Whoa... what is this?" mumbled Agon in hypnotic astonishment.

Angel was now decked out in dark lavender robes, hood included. She also had a gold breastplate with matching spaulders, a golden yellow scarf, her usual purple gloves with the shield icons, purple boots with the same symbols and a pair of dark purple pants underneath the robes. Rather than possessing the appearance of a female humanoid, the Archmagimon form retained the looks of both Renamon and Taomon; she was a ten foot version of her. Angel was a superior incarnation of Magimon that resembled a battle magician with her kind of attire.

"This is my mega form, Archmagimon. The losses of Hooktail and Gloomtail must have forced an evolution out of me. I didn't actually do this on my own will." explained Angel in slight surprise, scanning her own appearance.

"You are a giantess, even larger than your ultimate form. You're like a master sorceress or something. Wow..."

"It appears so," agreed Angel, chuckling in a dark manner. "This means one thing, and one thing only. We go after Mario."

Agon was shaken for a quick second before wearing a vengeful facial expression. Yes, he deserved to answer for what he had done. It was hard to imagine that the once-heroic plumber of justice went to such lengths just to get back at the two Tail dragons. Nevertheless, there would be no more fooling around. It was time to prepare.

"I hope Hooktail and Gloomtail are going to be watching us from above. I can't wait for this moment to go down." said Agon with extreme vindictiveness.

"Then what are you waiting for?" inquired Angel with a grin. "Come, take my paw and we will deliver the much-needed retribution upon the brother of Luigi."

"First things first, we need to go to Toad Town and find Luigi. I've got a load of new information you both need to know. Is that all right?"

"Sure. I'll teleport us there now."

Angel picked up Agon in her arms and began focusing her thoughts. Upon concentration, the brilliant flash of bluish-white light engulfed the two of them. When it faded away, the duo was no longer there.

**(Trying to move this story along now. Don't worry, there will be some action in the next few chapters. I plan to finish this one way or another. Apologies if the plot seems contrived.)**


	17. The Red Plumber Strikes

**The Red Plumber Strikes**

It was late evening in the quiet community of Toad Town. Splashes of orange and yellow in its atmosphere blended together to form a mellow color that was easy on the eyes. Clouds of white and gray hovered above as the calm wind permeated the warm outside. Many houses of various styles and sizes were all over, with a few commercial buildings here and there: such examples included a post office, item shops, some hotels and a restaurant. Patches of healthy grass lots and flowerbeds helped to reinforce the peaceful atmosphere and its mild climate.

The townspeople here consisted mainly of Toads, but other species such as friendly Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Bob-ombs, some Yoshis, Shy Guys and Boo Buddies were also wandering around innocently. Things were nowhere in the metropolitan phase like the globalized Mushroom City: Toad Town was primarily a decently large village that was in close proximity to Princess Peach's Castle. From this, the area had a certain sense of modest prestige and serenity.

This place was aesthetically described as picturesque: the great number of trees, picket fences, streetlamps, roads and lawns emphasized the town's suburban nature. Toad Town was a settlement on its own, but that didn't mean it wasn't modernized to keep pace with the present times. The people here even had some parking garages that allowed them to place their vehicles away from the local roads. Traffic flowed in and out efficiently on account of the streets not being clogged with plopped cars. Of course, just about everyone didn't mind walking either; the weather was often nice enough to warrant a good ol' stroll and the distances were deceptively close.

* * *

Agon, Angel (in her mega form) and Luigi were gathered together in a municipal park, located at the outskirts of Toad Town. The bald man and the lean plumber sat on a wooden bench: the Archmagimon situated herself on the grass close by, cross-legged. Their occupied facial expressions indicated an ongoing important conversation.

"...and they're operating within the Palace of Shadow?" asked Luigi in mid-sentence.

"That's what I got from the interrogation," responded Agon. "Apparently, your brother had been growing an army there for quite some time. It explains all the troops he's sent so far."

"This was happening before he joined Bowser?"

"Yes, and he also informed me of a coordinated attack on Toad Town. Mario is supposedly gathering his forces together and probably looking to meet up with Bowser. When it's going to occur, I don't know."

Luigi folded his arms as he let out a disgruntled noise. The matter of subject seemed to have become disconcerting from the solemn look in his eyes.

"That doesn't sound good..." the younger Mario brother pointed out unmistakably. "I already knew that I was being tracked down, but this is something else... He must be serious."

"You think? He's working with a friggin' enemy of yours, what did you expect? Listen, you're his brother. Do you know the reason behind his motives?" Agon said in an inquisitive type of voice.

"No, I don't. All I can recall is that he and I were about to lay the smackdown on that fiendish Koopa King, when I was suddenly struck by a fireball from behind. The fact that he attacked me, his own flesh and blood, is enough evidence to say that I don't consider him my brother anymore." Luigi sighed heavily before saying, "Your guess is as good as mine, only Mario would know why he decided to turn evil. I still can't honestly believe my bro is an enemy now. We used to be so tight..."

Apart from the chattering visitors walking by, a harsh silence had fallen between the trio. Luigi stared down at his feet while Agon merely nodded. Angel, who had listened to every single word so far, brought her sleeves together; she gazed at both men steadily. It was some time before any of them spoke again. Finally, the green Super Mario brother faced Agon.

"He killed both of your friends," Luigi said. "I'm sorry my brother inflicted these acts of murder."

The muscular man did not meet his eyes, but chose to stare ahead. He didn't need to be reminded about the touchy subject yet again. His inscrutable face looked to be thirty years older.

"Why apologize? You didn't have anything to do with it." replied Agon brusquely.

"They didn't deserve such a blatantly heinous death. I believed what you said about Hooktail and Gloomtail, that the fall of the Shadow Queen freed them. Those dragons only wanted to live a new life as brother and sister. They were also your good friends and my back stabbing bastard of a brother took that all away from you. Despite what you may think, you have my condolences."

Agon kept his glare fixed to nothing: he couldn't stop himself thinking about how much he wanted to see both Tail dragons again. Hooktail was dead; Gloomtail was dead too. He had loved the both of them and they were gone because of the 'heroic' red plumber. Why did it happen like this? Couldn't he had just simply talked to them before rashly killing them? They might have put aside all their past differences and become allies, one never knew for certain.

"It's not everyday you have dragons as companions," began Agon slowly, pulling himself together. "If only Mario could have given the both of them a chance... Hooktail told me that she was willing to forget what had happened during the events of The Thousand-Year Door. Gloomtail was hesitant, but he didn't dismiss the idea entirely since she was his beloved sister. I think there could have been amnesty between them and Mario."

"I see..." said Luigi carefully. "That didn't go as planned though, right?"

"Nope. I have to agree with you there." said Agon in a stiff tone. He sighed woefully before adding, "I yearn to be with them again. I wish Hooktail was alive right now. She was such a gentle and affectionate dragon..."

The ten foot vixen remained in her position, still fixed upon both men. Her deadpan facial expression became that of sympathy for Agon: she also missed the crimson dragoness. Luigi said nothing in this situation out of respect for the short man's grief. Again, a perturbed silence made its presence known among the three.

"Any luck on King Boo's side?" asked Agon after a while.

"No, he hasn't found Bowser in any of his castles," answered Luigi. "No results on my brother either, don't know how he's doing it... Boo is with Peach right now, discussing the next action. We got one good thing going on at least: they're both allies."

"Well, just to play it safe, it may be beneficial if you informed the two of them about the joint attack. I don't know when and if it'll happen, but at least they'll be able to prepare accordingly."

The green-capped plumber thought for a short moment before nodding.

"Couldn't hurt." he said in agreement. Then, after a few seconds, he added, "You and Angel are going to the Palace of Shadow tomorrow, aren't you?"

The light-brown man made full eye contact: there was a blazing determination in his dark eyes that edged toward hidden rage.

"You know it. If there's even the smallest chance that your brother may be there, he's gonna get it really badly. At the very least, we'll be able to take out a vast majority of his mercenaries." exclaimed Agon.

"And by greatly reducing those numbers, Peach and Boo will have an easier time defending Toad Town should Bowser and Mario carry out their battle plan." Luigi pointed out, cupping his chin.

"Along those lines. The Palace of Shadow is a perilous place, but with Angel by my side," Agon motioned to the quiet robed magician. "it shouldn't be so dangerous."

She simply nodded eagerly as her icy blue eyes had a look of devotion.

"I'll accompany you as well," the thin green and blue man offered. "I would like nothing more than to meet my brother face-to-face. You could definitely say it's personal at this point. Will you allow me to join your entourage?"

"What of Bowser?" inquired Agon curiously.

"He isn't much of a threat alone. Like you said, we wipe out most of Mario's soldiers, we cripple their coordination attack. We have similar goals: you want to avenge your friends and I want revenge for being almost killed by him. We're pretty much after the same guy."

"Well, I'm glad you're anxious to help us, but are you sure about this? This fight isn't solely your concern. The main reason why I have such a strong hatred for your brother is because he murdered my friends without a conscience. I already lost it when Angel showed me the remnants of Hooktail, but Gloomtail dying as well really took it to the next level. I cared for them like no other being and they were friendly too. Had it been during the events of The Thousand-Year Door, I would have understood, but this... well, you get the idea."

The twenty-six year old suddenly stood up straight, as if he became temporarily possessed by a demonic spirit. His entire demeanor had turned erratic and unstable in his verbal musings. He clutched his head and threw down his arms, seemingly doing so in a maddening manner.

"You don't even want to know what I would do to Mario if I ever laid my hands on him," continued Agon in an agitated tone. "That sadistic killer will get his, even if it costs my life. Anything to put Hooktail and Gloomtail's spiritual minds at peace."

He began pacing back and forth to try to release the increasing excitement and irritation.

"I've never felt like this before in my life. I think I miss them more than I miss my own family. **That**," Agon affirmed with emphasis. "must mean something right there. To be fair though, the whole 'fictional world thing' itself would be an unbelievable event, like a dream come true. It was certainly amazing when I first got here from Earth. Interacting and living out your personal fantasies... just sublime."

Luigi and Angel sat back, listening to his words with attentive anxiety.

"Well, I'm not gonna bore you with any more redundant details. Luigi, I accept your assistance." concluded Agon with a disarming smile. The quick change in his attitude was welcome, but unnerving at the same time.

"Good to hear," said the taller mustachioed man, returning a small grin. "Listen, I'm going over to the castle for the night. Find yourself a place to rest and we'll get things together for tomorrow. Be prepared ahead of time. There's a few item shops scattered around if you need stuff, just search for the fire flower signs."

Luigi took his leave. Agon focused his attention upon Angel with a nonchalant glance.

"Well then," he started, clapping his hands together. "I'm gonna get some new gear. Why don't you go on ahead for now? I'll meet up with you later."

"All right, if you're absolutely certain... I'll come to your aid like usual if you get into trouble." said Angel with great care.

"No problem. See you in a bit."

* * *

The time was after midnight. Toad Town was all but soundless apart from the cool and placid breeze. There were no clouds in sight while the bright pale silver moon shone beautifully as a result. Nearly all building windows were devoid of visible lights except for a few scattered beams; some people had chosen to stay up late for different reasons of their own.

Agon was one of those people: he decided to roam the deserted streets while Angel slept inside a four story hotel in the southern end of town. The height, and also the modernized black slate design of the building made it easy to spot. To further reinforce the simplicity, a lit up blue-white sign that said 'Toad Town Hotel' was on the top roof.

He had his hands in his pockets as he strolled down a dark road. Agon left much of his inventory back in the hotel room; he only carried his blaster pistols with him. When he had tried to leave, a brief, but passionate argument had broken between he and the fox Digimon. He eventually convinced her to get some sleep while he cleared his mind out. In a teasing way, she threatened the dark-brown eyed man that she would stalk him next time during his lone wanderings.

'_Well, I still have her in my decreasing list of friends,_' said Agon mentally with a tinge of sadness, mulling over the golden vixen. '_Angel is my only companion left. I don't want to lose her either..._'

Underneath his eyes, there was worry and fear. He was afraid of the very fitting thought of a fallen angel. Frightened of his own paranoia, he forced himself to change the subject.

'_So Luigi is gonna help us, huh? That's good, very good indeed..._'

Before the nightfall, the green-capped plumber dropped by and said that in the morning, he would be prepared to move out to Rogueport. He also notified Princess Peach and King Boo of the possible attack from Mario and Bowser. In response, the crowned Boo Buddy warped to Luigi's Mansion and was in the process of gathering his forces. The Monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom had stationed several platoons of her personal guard; they were tasked to patrol the castle and parts of Toad Town. Toad himself led these groups and in this present moment, they were marching through the roads, keeping an eye out for trouble.

'_Seems like things are moving along. I just hope they'll manage while Luigi goes with us to the Palace of Shadow._' thought Agon, seeing a battalion of Toads in armor wielding metal shields, tesla spears and handguns. They trooped along another street to his right as he passed by.

After he weaved in and out of town for the next forty-five minutes, he told himself that it was time to get some rest. A big day was coming up and it wouldn't do good to engage in the mission all sleepy-eyed and exhausted. The short man walked toward the direction leading to the four story hotel. He gazed upon the glowing moon along the way, commenting that it was divine in this open night. The dark navy skyline with its lack of bothersome clouds made it seem more peaceful and suspenseful.

Agon couldn't help but feel that something was in the air: perhaps he was merely being paranoid, but this apprehension had been annoying him during the duration of his walk. He gently clutched his chest for a few seconds. It was as though his emotionally wounded heart knew what he thought. He felt like he was being watched by an unknown eye. And yet, after surveying his surroundings, he saw no one in sight and was all alone. Shaking his head in disbelief, the well-built man continued on the rest of his way to the hotel.

He didn't get far before he halted at an empty intersection. Agon's senses were on full alert now: though he could not actually detect enemy presence, he was sure that he wasn't alone. The watchful man looked in all directions for anyone and anything hidden in the darkness. Because of the lack of lighting and overall blackness of the town, it was very difficult to see through. He crossed his arms, bowed his head down and readied himself.

A small twister had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. It landed a few feet away from Agon and materialized: the gust of air revealed a man in red overalls, a blue long-sleeved shirt, white gloves, light-brown shoes and a red cap with the letter 'M' on it. It was none other than Mario himself, but was he alone? There had to be others waiting to surround the bald-headed man. However, no one else had appeared on the scene. They stared each other down: Mario held his Ultra Hammer while Agon trained both of his blaster pistols at the plumber.

Seconds that translated into minutes went on with neither man making a move. It seemed that mind games were being played as they sized each other up. The light-blue eyes pierced right through the dark-brown ones. No words were spoken, no movement, no shooting, no fireballs, no noise, nothing. Eventually, Agon grew impatient and tossed his pistols aside. Mario dropped his hammer in response; he recognized the incoming physical challenge.

"You decided to reveal yourself. It'll be much more satisfying if I beat you down with my bare hands," he said thirstily, putting his fists up. "I've waited for this moment to face you in combat and it looks like this is it. You're gonna get it big time for slaughtering Hooktail and Gloomtail."

Out of nowhere, Agon charged forward: Mario jumped over him and rammed his back, shoulder-first. The bald-headed man rolled away and recovered. He tried a roundhouse kick, only for it to get dodged by the red-capped plumber. Mario swiftly followed up by plowing a gloved fist at the back of his head. This forced Agon several feet forward as he consequently fell down on the street. He got up and made a provoking gesture towards Mario, which was the double-bird.

Mario answered to this taunt by unleashing a series of rapid punches. While Agon was able to block all of it, he didn't expect a leg sweep to drop him onto his back. The mustachioed man trapped him and began a beatdown, delivering lefts and rights repeatedly. Agon attempted to guard the assault: his arms kept getting wrenched open by the larger character. He finally clawed his face, giving him time to escape Mario's smackdown and get back on his feet. Both men stared at each other for a second before resuming the brawl.

Agon performed a four hit combination; left jab, left jab, left jab and a strong uppercut. All the strikes landed on Mario without much effect, who had retaliated by executing a vicious right hook. The small man stopped it with both hands blocking his right fist. Immediately, Mario went for a low blow. Agon crashed to his knees, clutching the very sore area for the moment. The red and blue Mario brother distanced himself and did a running low dropkick, aimed for the short man's face. He was down and writhing in pain.

He had no chance to recover as Mario picked him up by the collar. The plumber headbutted Agon three times, each one progressively slower and more powerful. He was then lifted over Mario's head for a few seconds before being tossed up; the dark-brown eyed man landed hard on the cement road afterwards. Agon's entire midsection was hurting badly from the military press slam.

'_He's really tough..._' thought Agon, attempting to get himself up. '_I guess he isn't a character in the Super Smash Brothers series for nothing._'

Mario merely smirked at the smaller man's struggles, finding him to be a pathetic opponent. After Agon had recovered with some difficulty, he marched toward the plumber. He tried a haymaker directed at Mario's face; he was stunned and sent back a fair distance away. The twenty-six year old took advantage by bashing the mustachioed face with both hands together, and then tackling his whole body onto the paved street. Mario kicked Agon away the instant he got close.

Both men faced each other again: Agon's face was disfigured and bleeding while his clothes were partially shredded. He grabbed his bruised midsection with one hand and rubbed his aching head with the other. Mario's nose and mouth had some blood leaking from it. His red cap was not on his head, having been knocked off during the fight. His brown hair was messy and unkempt.

"I'm just getting started. You won't escape my wrath and vengeance! Get some!" shouted Agon as he spat out a sticky wad of saliva and blood.

The wild plumber flashed a nasty grin at the injured man, taking out two smaller hammers. He unexpectedly moved faster than the eye could see and pulverized Agon's ribs. He dropped down onto the road and screamed in excruciating torment, his legs fidgeting in response to the massive pain. Mario planted a foot on the incapacitated man's sternum: a look of triumph was evident through the mustache, big nose and brown hair.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Aughhh...! Finish me off already!" yelled Agon in between coughing, wheezing and crying: his vision became blurry.

It appeared that Mario was about to grant him his death wish when another voice, which had sounded angry, came from the shadows.

"Get away from my friend right now!"

And after those spoken words, the brown-haired man found himself knocked back across the dark street. His body flew out like a launched human missile and eventually came to a grinding halt; Mario didn't make any attempt to stir afterwards. Agon weakly turned his head toward his savior.

"...Hey, is that... you?" he asked faintly, unable to stand up due to his broken ribs and injured back.

"The one and only." the voice responded humorously.

It was Angel as Archmagimon. She had her gloved paw out in the position of a palm strike, which was what sent Mario careening toward the other end of the road. She gazed at Agon worriedly while he coughed furiously. Spots of scarlet blood came out from his already deformed mouth, spilling onto his damaged black shirt.

"You don't look so well. Allow me to cure you of your wounds, friend." Angel offered.

The battle magician cast a restoration spell on Agon. The green energy enveloped him, sealing up and recuperating all of his injuries. After the healing process, he stood up with an appreciative expression on his newly-intact face.

"My angel of light," he remarked kindly. "Where did Mario go? We were just fighting a moment ago."

"He's all the way over there." said Angel, pointing to the plumber's body dozens of feet away from them. The two friends ran toward Mario.

He had managed to recover from the sudden attack by the heavily attired vixen. Mario glared at the both of them in frustration and pain, clearly not expecting this turn of events. Out of nowhere, he started speaking for the first time in an intriguingly childish voice. It carried an impish and callous undertone as well.

"You fools think you know what you're dealing with? Heheheheheh... This is simply delicious! I was only playing with you just now. If it wasn't for your tall friend there, I **would** have killed you good."

Agon and Angel looked at each other in slight confusion, then back to the talking Mario.

"Surprised that I, **the** Super Mario, am speaking to you idiots? Should have figured." Addressing Agon, the character in red overalls said, "Little man, the next time we face each other, I won't go so easy on you. I'll be waiting for you in the Palace of Shadow. Come and get me there, if you dare..."

"I will, believe that!" shot back Agon. "You'll pay grievously for the deaths of my friends, you mustachioed bastard!"

"You must mean those dragons, right? I had so much fun annihilating them and if they were alive once more, I'd do it all over again. I doubt that you really cared **that** much about them. I mean, who cares? They're just scaly creatures not worth wasting time with." said Mario in an undisguised manner of sadism.

"Shut the fuck up! I can't believe that the once-goodhearted plumber of the Mushroom Kingdom would do this! What has gotten into you?! You joined Bowser's crew, betrayed and attempted to kill your brother and raised a personal army of mercenaries to carry out your malicious orders! What is wrong with you, man?!"

The red and blue man just laughed evilly, apparently enjoying the reaction he was getting. This only served to further anger the bald-headed man. Angel glared at Mario with total disdain and hatred, her cerulean eyes penetrating his own.

"What, may I friggin' ask, do you find so damned amusing?!" inquired Agon, now infuriated.

"Oh, just about everything," answered Mario in a taunting way. "You honestly believe that I am actually Mario? Sure, whatever floats your boat. Anyway, I'll be leaving if you don't mind now. Later, slick!"

"Trying to run, are you? I don't think so!" shouted Angel as she held out a large purple gloved paw. Little bolts of lightning had appeared and was crackling violently.

She conjured a discharging sphere of electricity aimed for the capless plumber: Mario vanished into thin air before the projectile hit him. It had dissolved without detonating. The short man and robed fox faced each other again, both wearing looks of irritation and befuddlement.

"What the hell did he mean by that? 'Actual Mario'?" Agon wondered, shaken by his unusual words. He calmed himself right after the plumber's disappearing act.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely certain, but I think it means there's more to him than meets the eye." replied Angel.

"Are you on to something here? I don't think I've ever heard Mario talk before, so that's already a cause for suspicion there. And the style of his speech as well... Of course, I told you the main gist about the iconic video game character of Nintendo."

"Yes, that was a long while back, when... Hooktail..." she started, but interrupted her own sentence. She didn't want to bring up the subject, but Agon intervened.

"It's fine, you can say it if you want. Back to what just happened..."

Agon strolled around, hands behind his back while Angel remained in her position with a preoccupied look. The fact that Mario actually talked was something worth dwelling over. Why did he wear red overalls and a blue shirt? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Also, the Mario that everyone knew and nearly loved would never resort to this type of activity. It was far too uncharacteristic. And when he had said "Later, slick!", Agon was vaguely reminded of someone that tended to use that term an awful lot. Who...? He couldn't put his mind to it right now, maybe because he was now tired after the fierce encounter with said man.

"You know what? I'm getting an impression about our 'friend' in red overalls and blue shirt." speculated Agon.

"And what may that be?" asked Angel curiously.

"...I don't know, but it's likely that this goes deeper than we could imagine. I don't even understand how he managed to find and ambush me here." In a resigned tone, he said, "Can we get some rest for now? I'm too tired to think anymore, plus we gotta be ready for the Palace of Shadow. We'll be able to deal with Mario and the Black Apparitions then."

"Yeah, let's do that." agreed the Digimon in her mega form.

He held his arms upward to Angel, who happily picked him up. She carried the exhausted man from the intersection to the Toad Town Hotel. There was even more information that Luigi needed to know, but that could wait until the morning. Sleep was imperative.

**(Just sort of fast-forwarding things at this point. More to come soon, so sit tight. Happy reading.)**


	18. Double Assault

**Double Assault**

The next morning at 8:30 AM, Luigi was outside of Princess Peach's Castle. He was speaking with the Monarch herself and the Booish sovereign: the conversation was upon the topic of the coordinated attack being conspired by Mario and Bowser. They all held similar looks of thoughtfulness and uncertainty.

"It is really true? Mario is at the Palace of Shadow underneath Rogueport?" questioned Peach curiously.

"Based on what Agon said," replied Luigi with a quick nod. "I'm going with him and Angel in a bit."

"Will you be all right? With Mario deemed a public enemy by the entire kingdom, I'm very concerned for you. Your brother is a dangerous man."

The green-capped plumber gave Peach a reassuring smile.

"If anything, I'm looking forward to confronting Mario face-to-face. I'll be able to do so knowing that I'm not alone on this journey." He shifted his gaze toward the large circular ghost and said, "How's it going with your army?"

"Everything is good on my end. Having a huge Boo Buddy like Boolossus on my side can certainly prove advantageous. I also have a bunch of Big Boos assembled for the attack. We'll be ready." said King Boo confidently.

"Nice going friend. Peach, your forces are all fine as well?"

The Mushroom Kingdom Princess nodded in confirmation. She held her scepter in her ivory gloved hands, alongside the traditional pink gown with the sapphire brooch; she also wore her red high heels.

"They are all patrolling Toad Town even as we speak, and Toad is leading them," explained Peach. "I'm ready for action as well."

"Wait, are you sure you want to get involved with this? Normally, it's better for you to stay inside the safety of your castle. You know Toadsworth won't easily approve of this, what with your well-being and all." Luigi countered with a doubtful facial expression.

"I'm tired of being a damsel in distress. I can fight too, you know! Everyone has a breaking point and so do I. This is our kingdom and I will join in the fight as well. I have to do this Luigi."

She twirled her scepter around and jabbed it forward like a spear. King Boo looked quite delighted by her moxie while Luigi seemed taken back. A princess like her wasn't typically known for expressing interest in the forthcoming battle, let alone any combat. Then again, she was also a character in the Super Smash Brothers series. The younger Mario brother imagined the possible surprise from Bowser when he found out that kidnapping her wouldn't be such a cake walk: it was almost a guarantee that the Koopa King would try it during the attack, whether it succeeded or not. His tenacity was something to be admired even through the past failures of his campaign against the kingdom.

"You're serious about this, huh?" said Luigi, adjusting his gloves. "Guess I can't take that away from you. It's ultimately your personal decision as the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. I just didn't expect you to be so anxious about this battle."

"Why? Because I've been kidnapped repeatedly over the past number of years? That has run its course, I'd rather play the role of a warrior princess!" Peach announced, her soft voice mixed in with teeming valor. "Don't worry yourself over me Luigi, I'll be fine. Trust me."

"I will watch over the princess, just in case. You can count on us." declared King Boo as he cackled eagerly.

The skinnier mustachioed plumber shrugged his shoulders. He thought that perhaps the both of them knew what they were getting into after all. Their indirect understanding for the defense of Toad Town indicated the alliance between them was at work. A few seconds passed by before he spoke again.

"Well then, good luck to the two of you. Give Bowser nothing but hell. I'm off to meet Agon and Angel for the journey into the Palace of Shadow. Hopefully, Mario will be there... At the very least, we'll keep the Black Apparitions off your backs."

Luigi began walking away from Princess Peach and King Boo, the two of them respectively telling him to be careful. Interestingly enough, the crowned Boo Buddy had genuine concern in his tone when he told Luigi to wait a moment.

"Hey... uh... don't get yourself killed now, you hear me?" the Lord of Boos muttered in a low voice.

The younger Mario brother had heard him and responded accordingly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I'll be back. It's quite surprising that you care about me, considering the fact that we're technically supposed to be enemies." Then, in an appreciative tone, he said, "You know, I used to be terrified of you, but you're not so bad after all. Thanks."

While it wasn't discernible at first, an open-mouth smile crept its way onto King Boo's lips. His fang-like teeth were visible as well as his pink tongue. He slowly hovered forward to Luigi and, after a short hesitation, embraced him with his stubby arms. Princess Peach's facial expression was that of approval while Luigi eventually hugged the royal Boo back, rather alarmed and content at the same time. It was quite a general shock that the green-capped plumber and the circular ghost had felt like this toward each other.

"Promise that you'll come back?" asked King Boo in a longing voice. The matter in which it had been said was like a small child's curiosity; the kid wondered if his or her parents were going to be back after a long trip.

"Yeah..." answered Luigi steadily. "I can do that."

They continued to hold each other for a while longer before the ghostly king relinquished the green and blue man. He gave him another shy, yet warm smile before returning to Peach, who had watched the affectionate scene unravel. Finally, Luigi went off to join Agon and Angel.

"I didn't expect that from you," commented Peach gently, a hand on her jewelled brooch. "You're actually worried about him? I thought that you two **were** arch-rivals."

"We used to be, but not anymore..." replied King Boo as he kept gazing at the direction that Luigi was headed for.

The Monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom placed a hand on the large Boo. He turned sideways and clasped her hand with his own. For a little bit of time, the duo was unmindful of their actions: then they blushed in realization before letting go. The two sovereigns averted from each other timidly. Eventually, they shifted their focus on more important matters.

"Are you ready? If Bowser and Mario **are** going to attack Toad Town, then we should get prepared." said Peach, her elegant face wearing an earnest look.

"Definitely. They won't stand a chance against my Booish Army," stated King Boo enthusiastically. "Just to let you know, Boolossus is easily worth a hundred of your best guards."

"Well, that'll make things far easier for the both of us. Let's get moving."

* * *

Luigi strolled down a long street with houses, streetlamps and benches. He searched the area, looking to spot a bald man and a tall golden vixen in robes. This wandering around had gone on for some time before he bumped into them. Angel was still in her mega form, towering over both Agon and Luigi. The twenty-six year old himself was wearing black armor with a helmet: he was also equipped with an A-02 Neutralizer (laser rifle/repeater), a Hunter (homing rocket launcher) that finally replaced his older launcher and an Unstable Cracker (explosive scattergun) that was capable of automatic fire. He had obtained this gear from an arms dealer in one of the Toad Town item shops, from yesterday before the sudden encounter with Mario.

"There you are," said Agon, sounding slightly exasperated. "We've been trying to find you for a while. Are you all set?"

"I'm ready. Sorry for the delay, I just had to talk to Princess Peach and King Boo," Luigi apologized. "Well, no use standing around, let's get moving. I think there's a warp pipe here somewhere..."

"There is an even faster means of transportation," exclaimed Angel casually. "Stay close to me."

"The same way you brought me here?" questioned Luigi as he remembered being teleported from the day before.

She nodded while concentrating her mental energies into the warping process. Less than three seconds later, all three of them were covered in a blinding white light. The aura disappeared along with the trio: nearby pedestrians stopped in their tracks, wondering what they had just seen.

* * *

They were at the grisly town of Rogueport within the central square. Not much had changed over the last several weeks; it was in the same condition of uncleanliness. Luigi briefly looked around, recalling the times that he had been here on his own adventures.

"Pretty much the same as before, except for a former gang leader acting as a peacekeeper around these parts." remarked Agon, thinking about Ishnail and the Craws.

"I remember this place," Luigi said as he continued scanning the run-down area. "Not exactly the friendliest of hangouts, huh?"

"Eh, it doesn't bother me much. Come on, let's find the way."

The trio moved to the eastern passage of Rogueport. The usual contingent of bandits, thieves and brigands kept their distance from them. They were frightened of the ten foot Digimon and her sorceress appearance. Angel reinforced their fears by glaring daggers at some of the thugs with her frigid blue eyes.

It didn't take any time before they were facing a green warp pipe just outside of Professor Frankly's home. Agon gazed at Luigi, looking to be unsure of something.

"Are you certain about this?" the twenty-six year old inquired. "I mean, this **is** Mario we're dealing with, your own brother. You can still back out of this if you want..."

"It's a bit late for that now. I'm already tagging along with you, aren't I? You don't have to remind me, I know what it's all about." responded Luigi, wearing a steadfast expression on his face.

"Well, there's something you should know. During the night, I had an... unscheduled run with Mario."

"Really? Tell me everything then."

Luigi became anxious and interested. Agon nodded as he entered the warp pipe leading to the Rogueport sewers.

"I'll explain on the way." he said before descending the pipe.

During their navigation in the subterranean network, Agon and Angel proceeded to inform Luigi of the encounter. The skinnier Mario brother was mystified by the time all three had found their way to the Thousand-Year Door. He rounded on the other two.

"How did he find you?" asked Luigi with an edge in his voice.

"See, that's the thing, I don't know," answered Agon while shrugging his shoulders. "I was just strolling through town at night when I felt like I was being watched. Next thing I knew, this human-sized tornado appeared from nowhere and there was Mario."

"And about that whole business with him actually being Mario?"

"It's a speculation, but there could be more to this than we may have first thought. Your brother talked for one thing, but the words he had used was the major cause for suspicion."

Luigi merely looked more perplexed while Angel folded her arms, listening carefully. Agon went on with his explanation.

"There were two words that stuck out as peculiar: 'Later, slick!'. Not only that, but it had this mocking undertone to it, like a devilish imp that sought to play tricks on other beings. It reminded me of someone that often used the word 'slick', but I can't lay a finger on it..."

"And you think that it could be a clue of some kind?" the green-capped plumber questioned.

"I would like to believe so, because I have a strange feeling that Mario might not be who he actually is. Think about it: would your brother ever commit himself to the activities allegedly done by him?"

Luigi tapped his nose, wearing a thoughtful facial expression. He shook his head slowly.

"No, he wouldn't."

"Even though he has made many enemies in the past, would he go out of his way to seek revenge out of cold blood? When I say cold blood, I mean doing so without any type of reason."

Another moment of silence. Again, Luigi shook his head.

"No, he wouldn't."

"And would he ever turn his back on the Mushroom Kingdom and especially you, his dear old brother? The both of you are known as the Super Mario Brothers! You have to admit, Mario suddenly turning bad should have been a dead give away..." Agon pressed on, his rugged face serious and deep in thought.

"No, he wouldn't do that. Hmm... you have a plausible point. My own bro would never resort to evil, let alone join up with that nefarious Bowser." said Luigi somewhat more resolutely.

"Then it is likely that the Mario we are facing may be an imposter, perhaps a very convincing one at that," added Angel, finally speaking for the first time in a while. "However, everything we have said so far is only speculation. The answer is not clear at the moment."

"A fake Mario? Well, that has happened before..." said Luigi as he rubbed his chin absentmindedly. "But I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He looked exactly the way he did before. There weren't any bloodshot eyes or changes to his voice or some sort of demonic glow to him. Even his clothes were exactly the same."

Angel stared right at the Mario brother's eyes, her own blue ones glowing disagreeably.

"Looks are deceiving. The only way now is through the ancient double doors in front of us." she pointed out.

The Thousand-Year Door, auburn in color, had an intricate gold design with seven stars. Periodically, a pinkish-red light emitted from the middle as the stars flashed their respective colors. Behind the trio, a gray stone pedestal laid in the middle of the room. It had been used to slowly unlock the seal that had kept the doors closed, the crystal stars acting as special keys. Agon recalled coming here before: it was during the time he had volunteered to seek out Gloomtail, following the survival of Hooktail. He, Angel and Luigi glanced at each other for a short moment before entering through the sinister entrance.

After the doors were shut, the red-capped plumber appeared in the middle of the room. He was hovering above the pedestal, a mirthless grin on his heavy face. He had just been eavesdropping on the trio's conversation without their knowledge.

"So, you dolts are starting to figure it out now, huh?" muttered Mario to himself. "Big deal. You want me? You gotta go through my boys first. To hell with that oversized lizard, I'm gonna fool around with these slicks instead. Meehehehehehe, let's see where this goes from here..."

He paused for a brief moment before going on. His next sentence was figuratively directed at Agon as a challenge.

"Little man, you may just get what you've always wanted: another fight against the one and only Super Mario. Come at me then, slick... Get your revenge on me for your fallen dragon friends. I won't hesitate in finishing you and the rest of your companions off this time."

Mario vanished into thin air.

* * *

Agon, Angel and Luigi were now in a huge open area with a flight of steps gently declining downwards. A vast expense of dark blue water was below the elevated ramp. The deep blackness had nearly surrounded them, the only sources of illumination coming from the lampposts on the railings. No hostiles were anywhere to be seen. It was likely that this area and the others had all been cleared out by the Black Apparitions.

'_Hooktail, Gloomtail..._' thought Agon to himself as they walked down the steps. '_We're doing this for the both of you. Just a little further in and Mario will get what's coming to him._'

'_I know Agon, I know. We are nearly there._' responded Angel, her echoing voice inside the short man's mind.

'_Yeah... I'm very nervous to tell you the truth. I never thought it would actually come to this. I need to say this now: I'm worried about losing you, seeing as you're my only remaining friend. I don't want you to be taken away from me..._'

Agon couldn't help himself as he expressed the last of his doubts. Only in this final moment of the mission had he decided to tell her how much her potential death terrified him. He felt that his heart couldn't suffer through another death of a close friend, given that in a short amount of time, he already lost the two Tail dragons. When Angel replied, her gentle voice had an air of extreme tenderness and assurance.

'_Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I promise I'll be with you forever. I am your best friend and guardian angel in this darkest hour._' proclaimed Angel with resolution.

'_You'll stay with me?_' asked Agon, feeling encouraged.

'_Always._'

The trio had made it to the end of the stairs. Luigi entered ahead while Agon and Angel remained behind. The two of them gazed at each other with expressions of compassion and love; it had been seconds before she picked up the little human. The mega Digimon wrapped him in the strongest hug she could muster. Agon savored every single second of this moment: he adored Angel, and next to the deceased Hooktail, she was practically **the** best friend of all friends. Someone like her was one in a million and if it had to be done, he would die for her. It had seemed like minutes before the two of them eventually released each other.

As they entered through the door into the next area, the bald-headed man had a big smile on his lips. He was eternally glad to have the yellow fox as his companion. He glanced at Angel, who beamed back at him wholeheartedly through the dark lavender hood and golden scarf.

When they had made it to the bottom of the stairwell, something had blocked the way ahead. A large Gatling turret rotated left and right with a laser sight enhancing its accuracy. Upon sight, it had began opening fire; a barrage of green energy beams was filling up the thin corridor.

"Whoa! What's that thing?" shouted Luigi as he ducked down.

"A turret that shoots freakin' lasers, what else?!" yelled Agon while entering a prone position. He attempted to return fire using his Neutralizer. "I can't take it out while I'm being suppressed here!"

"Let me handle this one." Angel said, bringing out her paws.

Her eyes narrowed in concentration as the turret was getting crushed mentally. A few seconds later, the stationary weapon had imploded. It was now inactive. She nodded, pleased at the results.

"Excellent!" said Agon, getting up from the ground.

"Impressive ability," Luigi chimed in with a look of amazement. "It's like you used your mind to destroy that gun."

"Indeed. Let's keep moving." she said, now levitating her way to the end of the hall.

The following section was a long corridor with a few scattered Black Apparitions. They had been easily dispatched by the trio as they advanced in a vast area with a bridge. There was also a sea of water underneath. Along the way, there were more Gatling turrets. These defenses were taken care of by Angel: she created dark purple rays from above and targeted the gun turrets. All three had crossed the path to the door at the end.

Agon, Angel and Luigi were inside a rectangular interior that looked to be two stories high. With them for company was approximately twenty-five Black Apparitions. Whether they were Koopas or Toads, their mechanical colored eyes stared antagonistically at the three. Most were equipped with flashlight repeaters and blaster pistols; the remaining few held large plasma cannons.

"They're packing some heat. Well, we can play at that game!" said Agon as he wielded his Neutralizer rifle. "Ready for some action, you two?"

"I'm burning for a good fight!" agreed Luigi, his hands ablaze with bright green fire.

"Right behind you dear!" replied Angel while crossing her sleeved arms and levitating.

The battle had started: Agon provided ranged support while Luigi jumped around and sprayed the area with fireballs. Occasional, he would punch and kick a few of the black robed soldiers. Angel made use of her high proficiency in magic, whether it was using her restoration spell to keep the two men healthy, summoning sentry crystals to deflect damage or creating mirror images to confuse the Black Apparitions. It had proven to be quite a pushover as the entire group of mercenaries were wiped out.

"That was a frantic skirmish," Agon remarked as he laughed victoriously. "You all right Angel?"

"All good here." she confirmed positively.

"Luigi?" he said, peering over the thin plumber.

"It's cool on my end. That turned out well, it I may say so." said Luigi with a thumbs-up.

The little muscular man grunted happily before moving forward. The other two followed after him.

Fighting their way through additional patrols and a few more turrets, they arrived in a huge octagonal room. At first, no one else was here: Angel had detected the enemy presence via her telepathy and natural instincts; she charged herself up. A great shockwave erupted from her, revealing over forty Black Apparitions. They were only equipped with truncheons, stun batons and small riot shields. It was evident that these troops depended on the element of surprise, which was now gone. Agon and Luigi were unharmed by her attack as they noticed how sluggish they suddenly moved, almost in slow-motion. They had looks of awe and bemusement.

"Time disruption aura," the Archmagimon explained, anticipating the question from both men. "Whenever I unleash this non-lethal power, anyone and anything in the surrounding area is immediately ninety-percent slower. Take advantage of this now, because the effect is only temporary."

Without words, Agon and Luigi went to work on the large number of cloaked troops. The black armored man conserved his ammo and instead utilized melee combat. He disarmed and used their own weapons against them while Luigi took out his Ultra Hammer and spun around like a human cyclone. The battle magician aided them by creating an unidentifiable symbol underneath her, which had radiated luminously. The surrounding Black Apparitions were suddenly being incinerated by inextinguishable black flames. This particular spell acted as an enchanted fire aura that could be channelled to continuous effect. Soon after, the black robed soldiers were dispatched.

"You never cease to amaze me Angel." commented Agon, feeling fired-up by their progress.

"Yeah, I've never seen so many abilities from you," said Luigi, totally impressed by the fox Digimon's prowess. I think you've already told me back at the Mansion, but what evolution is that?"

"Archmagimon. The average Renamon is suppose to be able to evolve up to Sakuyamon, but there are some situations where new forms can easily take priority and be adapted to. In my case, I go from Renamon to Kyubimon to Magimon and then Archmagimon. My ultimate and mega forms are different from the usual as the both of you can tell. Basically, I'm a magic-wielding sorceress."

Agon and Luigi nodded as they uttered noises of comprehension.

"Well, whatever you are doing, keep it up. We'll be able to get to Mario in no time at this rate. You're a wonderful fighter, or I guess sorceress as you said." the green plumber exclaimed, flashing a grin.

"Thank you, my mustachioed friend." said Angel, feeling touched by the little complement. "Let's push on."

The three of them were inside another room with stairs leading up to a second floor. Luigi and Angel started, but Agon told them to hold, faintly recognizing this puzzle. He had gotten lost the first time he was here while looking for Gloomtail.

"Wait... I remembered something from playing Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door," said Agon, his face screwed up in an attempt to recall from his memories. "We need to follow a certain pattern in order to get to the next place."

The other two turned around, addressing the short armored man. Luigi had no idea of what Agon meant, but Angel smiled at him: she had figured it out the hard way during her escapade to revive her friend.

"Follow the torch, right?" she asked, which had been expressed more as a statement.

"There you go." Gazing at Luigi, he explained in a concise manner. "Try to go through the door without the lit torch, you're back at square one. Pretty easy actually, just watch out for that fire on the wall."

Agon jabbed a finger at the torch that was situated on the higher floor. The green plumber pondered for a second before making a sound of realization.

"All right, so we just proceed through the halls with torches? I just want to make sure." repeated Luigi.

"Yep, so move out."

After walking through the next few sections in a fixed pattern, the trio was now inside another spacious interior. Unlike the previous rooms, this one had the impression of an outdoors architecture. The highlight was the three-story tower sitting not far away from their starting location. Water had closed it off, surrounding it like a moat. Bridges with guard railings and lamps were built along the stony path leading to the door on the other side. There were also two chain-chomp statues on opposite ends of the room.

This area was swarmed with enemies: black robed reptilians and fungi holding flashlight rifles and automatic shotguns had populated this place. Up above, there were winged Paratroopas that held grenades, either incendiary, flash or pulse. More laser Gatling turrets blocked the bridges with their red sights waiting to acquire nearby hostiles.

"More of these guys..." murmured Luigi as he conjured a green fireball in his right hand.

"I'm not worried at all," said Angel easily, levitating a few feet away from the ground. "We'll get through this one just like the others. Don't hold back."

The twenty-six year old only grunted in response. He took out his Hunter rocket launcher, ready for action.

* * *

Several airships that had belonged to Bowser Koopa were in orbit. They circled around and well above Toad Town lazily, as if merely disguising themselves as mobile observatory posts. At this present moment, the entire town was completely oblivious to their appearance. It was far enough that they wouldn't be noticed at first sight, plus the large puffy clouds obscured them as well.

On Bowser's personal airship, which was hard to miss because of his head being situated on the front, the Koopa King himself was marching back and forth. With him was his elite squadron of troops. They consisted of armored Terrapins, Magikoopas and Heavy Weapons Troopas equipped with ammo packs and gatling guns.

To their left, there was a massive Piranha Plant by the name of Petey Piranha. He had an unusually big head which was red with white spots. There were yellow petals with orange outlines around it and he had green lips. The rest of his body was rather small when compared to his head. With his leafy arms and stubby legs, Petey wore red pants with white polka dots that matched his head's scheme. Beside him was a Magikoopa in blue robes, a blue wizard's hat, glasses and a pair of brown shoes. He held a wand in his right hand and was known as Kamek, Bowser's advisor in this approaching campaign of Toad Town.

"All this waiting around... it's killing me! When is this proposed attack with Mario supposed to happen?! I'm getting bored here!" roared Bowser, who kept stomping back and forth.

The blue robed Magikoopa stepped forward and tried to calm him.

"Patience, mighty ruler of the Koopa Clan. He'll be here soon enough." said Kamek soothingly.

"Yeah? Well, soon enough isn't quick enough! If that faucet head doesn't show his fat face, then **I'm** going to start the attack! I could easily crush the entire town below us with one arm tied behind my shell!"

"That may be true, but you are aware that your former ally King Boo has sided with Princess Peach? He is certainly a formidable opponent who should not be underestimated."

The scaly reptilian just laughed. This fact did not seem to worry him in the slightest bit. He turned to face his advisor.

"Hah! That phantom is **no** menace!" Bowser said carelessly. "He's nothing compared to me, you hear me?! NOTHING! He doesn't scare me one bit!"

"Still, I feel that attacking other members of his kind was uncalled for. He was willing to cooperate with us until you did just that," continued Kamek, trying in vain to reason with his lord. "I do not understand your choice of breaking the alliance."

"We don't need that prissy king on our side! We're fine by ourselves! Besides, he would have done the same to us. I, alone, am worth five-hundred of my strongest troops!"

"You are definitely a tough individual with an infamous reputation, but -"

"Shut up!" bellowed Bowser while blasting out a breath of fire. "So what if he has supernatural powers? Oooooh, I'm so frightened, I think I might have nightmares... My brute strength will get us the victory! Don't even try to doubt me in this closing moment of glory."

Kamek made to interject once more, but was instantly halted when Bowser snarled at him.

"You have no faith in me, that's your problem. I'll show you! I'll prove to all of you that the Koopa King does what he does best: smash, crush, pound and destroy! Gwhahahahaha!"

All members of his elite group agreed with the brutish Bowser in haste; out of intimidation, they weren't about to shatter his confidence now. The wizardly Koopa bowed down, hoping to gloss over the bit of uncertainty from his imprudent words.

"Yes master, this upcoming battle **will** end in triumph. With you as our brave leader of the Koopa Clan, we cannot lose." he stated firmly, though the smallest hint of fear was there.

"Finally!" Bowser exclaimed as he threw out his arms. "You get it now! Because I'm such a _very_ patient Koopa, I'll wait a little longer for Mario and his band of toy soldiers. Otherwise, we're moving out without him! Understood?!"

"Yes, Your Awfulness." concluded Kamek.

Meanwhile, floating just above the Koopa Clan, King Boo spied on Bowser from the safety of his invisibility. He had a malicious look on him: he had heard everything from the loud, boastful turtle that used to be his ally. A murderous smile slowly appeared on him as his fangs protruded from the upper lip.

"He'll never know what hit him, literally..." he murmured, quietly chucking to himself.

On cue, several Big Boos as well as Boolossus materialized around Bowser's airship. They got into position while still keeping themselves invisible. The other ships in flight were completely unaware of what was about to happen: some, but not all of them also had even more Big Boos surrounding them. The king's smile grew larger.

"This will be too easy. You know what to do, but don't harm Petey Piranha if you can help it. He's still my friend... maybe that ruthless turtle king coerced him into his army of Koopas." he said to his huge ghostly companions. King Boo glanced at the mutated plant creature with a slight sadness; he had faith that Petey wasn't a loyal follower to Bowser.

As if under the act of synchrony, all Boos became visible. They began moving toward the various Koopa Clan airships, steadily picking up speed. Their tactic, it appeared, was to ram themselves into the flying constructs using their sheer size as a home advantage. Combined with the great numbers of large circular spirits, the rate of success was unimaginably high.

"While Luigi and those two companions are venturing into the Palace of Shadow to deal with Mario's gang, I'm up here with a preemptive plan. I think this will all turn out well. So much for their so-called double attack... Peach, you'll have it real easy in taking care of Bowser's remnants of his Koopa Clan."

Cackling softly with malice, King Boo watched everything before him with that same smile on his mouth: his fellow Boos were about to move in for the kill.

**(Finally, this story is getting close to an end. Can't promise that it'll be good though... Proofreading each chapter is such a bitch; just when I think it's good, I find more mistakes. It's hell on my eyes. Well, try to enjoy this chapter.)**

**(By the way, I know Bowser's army has different aliases. I decided to stick with Koopa Clan.)**


	19. Guardian Angel

**Guardian Angel**

They were inside what looked like the central hall of the palace. Chandeliers were suspended from above while there was a hefty amount of open space around them. Along with the dark red wallpaper and carpet, a wide unreachable balcony overlooked the entire room. It was oddly empty after having gone through the previous sections of the palace, being full of the black cloaked mercenaries, ground or ceiling gun turrets and a few proximity mines. This particular area was more than large enough for a penultimate event to occur.

"Sheesh, it took forever to get here," commented Agon in annoyance. "It's no wonder Mario used this place as a fortress for the numerous Black Apparitions we fought through. Chances are, it's pretty much the last of them we've seen."

"It may be so, considering that we have never been here before. We must be in the deepest reaches of the palace by now," said Angel, her blue eyes scanning the enormous hall. "It's far too quiet in here..."

"This place gives me an ice-cold chill down my spine," Luigi said as he huddled his arms close to him. "and also a bad feeling. There's no one else here but us. I don't know what my brother is up to or how he's gonna do it, but it's no excuse not to stay on guard."

The trio carefully advanced toward the entryway, which led downstairs to the Shadow Queen's chamber. They all darted their heads here and there: nothing was in this specific place, but something had to be lurking in the air. What was it? There were no Black Apparitions or any security systems in this part of the Palace of Shadow. Either that meant they had been assigned to guard the lesser areas or perhaps Mario reserved this room for his own personal reasons. No one knew the motive.

They were feet away from the elevated balcony when the battle sorceress halted, signalling the two men to stop with a dark purple sleeved arm.

"You feel it? We're being watched." murmured Angel while narrowing her eyes.

"I wouldn't doubt that," answered Luigi in agreement. "but I don't see anything or anyone else here."

Agon merely grunted, raising his Unstable Cracker defensively. He searched all around the cavernous hall while pointing his gun forward. Luigi got out his Ultra Hammer and held it expectantly. Angel closed her eyes and mentally scanned the room, trying to sense any enemy presence.

'_Come on, make your move..._' thought Agon nervously. A few beads of sweat were dripping from his right temple. His heart rate was faster than usual.

'_Well, there is someone here right now, but I can't directly detect it. Keep your guard up._' Angel responded telepathically.

While all three were continually marching around, the invisible Mario watched from the balcony. None of them could see him: it was the best time to capitalize on this moment of surprise. A strange, smoky dark matter was suddenly spreading from his right gloved fist to the shoulder. Once he had powered it up, the man in red and blue leaped upwards and aimed for Agon. Whatever this unknown attack was going to be, it was likely fatal.

"What the...?" was all Agon muttered as he saw something purple in midair. Angel had realized what was about to happen and instantly dashed in front of the short man.

She took the full blow of Mario's strange attack, knocking her back to the other end of the huge room. The Archmagimon degenerated into Viximon, her in-training form. Unconscious and grievously wounded, Angel was now a little round yellow ball with four stubby legs, pointy ears and a tail with a white tip. Agon, who was looking very shocked and enraged, stared at the materialized Mario before him. Luigi readied his Ultra Hammer as he got into a battle stance. An unbelievably cruel smile made its way onto the red-capped man's lips.

"You!" bellowed the light-brown man, training his explosive shotgun on the red plumber.

"It's me, who else?" said Mario casually, his right arm now normal again. "I have to admit, I was aiming for you, but your valiant friend there decided to take it. It would have finished you off just like that. Oh well, that means one less opponent to deal with."

"You are such a dead man now," declared Agon in a deathly voice. "For hurting my Angel and inflicting death upon Hooktail and Gloomtail, I'll personally victimize you into utter oblivion. No more of this shit. It's time to die."

"I don't know if you really **are** my brother, but you're gonna get it all the same. Let's finish this!" Luigi said, a determined expression on his face.

Right away, the twenty-six year old fired his shotgun at Mario. He dodged with little effort and punched Agon in the gut: he reeled back as he was momentarily stunned by the attack. Luigi jumped in the air and brought down his hammer, just missing Mario. The man in red overalls disarmed the younger brother by launching an orange fireball directed at his hands: he then threw a green shell at Luigi's head, knocking him down.

Mario was suddenly tackled onto the ground by Agon. The bald-headed man grabbed his neck and started to strangle him, while slamming his head against the carpeted ground. He managed to keep a hold on him for as much as five seconds before having his eyes gouged. The red-capped man recovered and performed a lightning fast leg sweep that took down Agon. He then stomped on his chest hard enough to force a pool of blood out of him.

While Mario went on with the stomping, Luigi returned to the fray and, after charging himself up, launched at his brother like a literal human missile. Judging by the explosive start, a misfire had occurred. He collided with Mario and sent him careening several feet across the room. Agon forced himself up with a bloodied smile on his lips while feeling his caved-in chest.

"Good move there... aughhh... Thanks." he said while coughing a few times.

"No problem," replied Luigi with a curt nod. "This fight is far from over though, look."

Mario recuperated from the green and blue plumber's offense. He grinned wickedly at the two men through the burnt appearance.

"Is that it? How pitiful. Perhaps this will be easy after all. You are nothing compared to me." said Mario, his playful voice beginning to sound demonic.

Agon growled fiercely and took out his Hunter rocket launcher. He fired volley after volley of rockets, all of them successfully evaded by Mario despite the homing ability. The red-capped plumber kicked him in the left kneecap while destroying his weapon; he did this by using his Ultra Hammer. Luigi rushed forward, executing a jumping uppercut that had been blocked by Mario. He was struck in the stomach by a powerful thrust punch that hurled him into the wall, actually collapsing inwardly. Both Agon and Luigi were stunned and out of the fight.

"You guys are hopeless," Mario said with pure malignity. "I guess this wasn't much of a challenge. Didn't expect the great Super Mario to be this tough, huh slick? Too bad."

"Enough of this damned charade! Who the actual hell are you?" yelled Agon, losing all patience with this character. He had a hard time standing up due to his broken kneecap.

"Really? We're done with this whole thing already? Fine, since you pretty much figured it out... You're right little dude, I'm not the real Mario. My name is Doopliss. What gave it away?"

"You kept saying the word 'slick' an awful lot," explained Agon with an angry look upon his face. "That, and I only just recently realized the real Mario would never be evil by choice. I should have known this from the start."

Mario, who was now revealed to be the Duplighost called Doopliss, gave out a terrible laugh. His light-blue eyes transformed into clear black orbs of sin. A misty dark purple aura had began swirling around him: it was clear that a much more powerful and forbidding force was behind the blackened visage.

"Aren't you quite the detective. It doesn't matter anyway because I'm going to kill you right here. Next, I'll tend to the green-capped fellow and after he's dealt with," Doopliss gestured toward the Viximon that was Angel. "I'll take your yellow friend there. There may be a good use for her, perhaps as a slave of some sort."

"You lay a single finger on her..." began Agon, summoning his courage.

"You'll do what? Say goodbye forever."

Doopliss strolled over to the twenty-six year old, picked him up and ripped off his head. Agon was no more, his head tossed aside like a piece of garbage. Luigi, who had only just recovered from being slammed against a solid wall, had a horrified facial expression.

"Weak mortal... That is what you get for taking away my pets," said Doopliss while his voice switched to a more feminine and satanic tone, unlike the Duplighost's child-like manner. "Your desecration on my dragons is something I will not tolerate. That was why I had Doopliss kill them, because they would only choose to resist my influence. If I couldn't bring Hooktail and Gloomtail under my control once again, then they are nothing to me. What an absolute waste of my power."

There was no way that this speech came from Doopliss himself; he had to be possessed.

"And you," he pointed to Luigi. "are next. Nothing will stand in my way now."

The green plumber looked panicked, but angered by what had happened. He took out a Star and used it on himself. It had made him temporarily invincible as the many sparkles twinkled all over him. This was fortunate because Doopliss moved in with the same shadow matter on his right arm: he punched Luigi, the Star's invulnerability deflecting his attack. The fake Mario was hurled back a few meters as a result. A few seconds passed before Luigi unleashed a massive green fireball; it was headed for the stunned Doopliss. The flaming projectile connected and exploded, covering the great hall in a blazing green storm. Luigi, after shielding himself the best he could, was breathing heavily from the effort. The Star's effects had worn off.

Doopliss was down and his body, scorched beyond all recognition, had not moved. However, an enormous, yet shapeless dark spirit that wore a gold crown arose from it. The body had evaporated into thin air that soon disappeared completely. There was an ungodly grin on its face. A twisted female voice penetrated the entire room, more terrible and mirthless than before.

So, you're really the brother of the famous Mario? You will be my new vessel. Together, we can rule over the entire world as one. This being called Doopliss is no more use to me now. You possess incredible strength, power that I could use for my plans of domination. I, the Shadow Queen, have returned!"

"Impossible! My brother defeated you. How could you be here now?!" said Luigi in a stupefied voice.

"A fragment of my soul was encased in a tomb inside of my chamber," the revived Shadow Queen explained. "All it took was a little trickery to convince someone to open it and a sacrifice. Doopliss did that chore perfectly, but he mattered to me very little after that. To think, he would actually serve in MY dark empire as a reward for freeing me. He was a hapless fool unworthy of my being. Only I must reign supreme. No one else."

"You used him like a pawn in a game of chess. Were you secretly working with Bowser the whole time?!" exclaimed Luigi, taking out his Ultra Hammer. His eyes burned viciously while his eyebrows frowned disapprovingly.

"That is immaterial. Perhaps I should have controlled him entirely instead of allowing the fool to do whatever he wanted, but no matter," she continued in an unwavering voice. "As for you, I'll make an exception. Let me ask you this: Will you join me? Together, you and I will be King and Queen of this pathetic realm. Do this, and your life will be spared of the agonizing torment in the void. Surely you value yourself over everything else? Be my second ruler in harmony and order of my new world. Do not turn down on this generous offer now."

The green and blue Mario brother shook his head immediately. He wanted absolutely no part in her villainous goals. To reinforce his answer, he hurled a fireball at the Shadow Queen, merely angering her in the process.

"I'll never give in to you! Never!" denied Luigi defiantly. "I would rather die a good guy than consort with a omnipotent being like you! What did you do with my brother?!"

She gave out a freezing laugh that seemed to echo throughout the Palace of Shadow.

"Let's just say that Mario is in my chamber, trapped in an eternal slumber. He is the embodiment that sustains my very lifespan. In order to keep myself alive, I needed a vessel capable of containing the remnant of my soul. However, it had to be the one that defeated me, thus, the red-capped one. My weakness is if I stray too far from the object, I become too fragile to remain here. That was why I possessed Doopliss the moment he freed me. I told him to take your brother's name and identity and, under my orders, bring his body over to my chamber."

There was a short, yet extremely tense silence before the Shadow Queen continued.

"It was all according to my divine plan. I will grudgingly admit that Doopliss performed his task well; no one suspected anything. Even knowing this, there is nothing you can do for Mario. He cannot be reawakened normally nor by conventional magic. As long as I live, your dear brother will never rise again. He is mine."

"You let him go **now**." snarled Luigi with building anger.

"I don't think so. He defeated me in the first place, it's only fair that he has his share of being sealed up in darkness until the end of time itself," the Shadow Queen's tone became very ominous. "I won't ask you again. Be my Shadow King or perish with the rest of this pitiful world."

"To hell with you! You know my answer! I'll fight you to regain my bro if I must, no matter what!"

If the reincarnated entity had eyes, they would have glared at Luigi with such contempt and scorn that it might have seared his inner mind. She began to prepare for an attack, the corruptible purple energies accumulating rapidly. When the Shadow Queen spoke again, her voice was darker than the abyss and full of unforgiving finality.

"That is your final decision? Unwise. Now you shall have the unfortunate fate of experiencing my raw power, first-hand!"

Suddenly, a crescent shadow wave had struck Luigi. His entire body had dropped like a dead stone; a wispy black smoke was on him. He was slowly being burnt to death.

"You are nothing to me. You are weak and unfit to even be a lowly servant under my supremacy. You will be terminated." she stated without remorse as the room darkened considerably.

The blackness seemed to come toward the demonic spirit. For a short moment, it had disappeared into her: arcs of lightning crackled as the same dark blanket burst outwards like a destructive bomb. The interior was nearly enveloped, the southern end (where the dying Angel is) being exempt from the Shadow Queen's strongest attack. Agon's headless body was completely obliterated while Luigi was sent flying, his figure bouncing against the balcony and landing on the floor with the elegance of a ragdoll. He did not move afterwards.

"I am even stronger than ever!" the Shadow Queen boasted triumphantly. "I will single-handedly take over this entire world as my own. I cannot be stopped by anyone or anything! Yessss..."

While she enjoyed her time of victory, the Viximon, which had degenerated to Relemon during the battle, began glowing a fiery orange aura. She had regained consciousness and been healed of all wounds as her fresh form underwent an instantaneous metamorphosis. It had completely skipped over all other evolutions; Angel had unlocked a new form called Guardiamon. This was her final incarnation.

Her appearance was a total contrast to the likes of Magimon and Archmagimon. She now had heavy crimson armor that protected her from harm, a black undersuit visible in a few spaces. She also wore a white tabard with a gold crest symbol and a wintery cloak, hood included. The height was the same as her mega form; around ten feet tall. She was a giant armored version of Renamon. It seemed that the death of her closest friend and Luigi being mortally wounded had caused this unexpected evolution.

Angel stood tall, marching toward the Shadow Queen with a severely vindictive look in her cobalt eyes. Golden yellow wings had appeared from behind her while a halo ascended over her hooded head. Her paws started to radiate a shade of blinding white.

"You dare oppose me?" the omnipotent demon said, facing the newly-developed Digimon. "You cannot hope to best me in a power struggle. There must be no more games. It ends now. I shall take your life and absorb your abilities as mine."

The Shadow Queen tried to hit Angel with a few lightning bolts. Though the ten foot vixen had been struck, she did not appear to be fazed by the attack. Next, the dark being summoned a plethora of dead hands; they rose from the very ground. They had only managed to get close to Angel before the hands were dispelled, as if vanquished by her holy aura. The demonic entity then released a series of dark energy waves aimed for the angelic warrior. They had successfully reached their mark: Angel simply smirked, these attacks having little to no effect.

"Hmm... you're not as weak as the other two mortals," remarked the Shadow Queen with a tone of annoyance. "Can you take this?"

She gathered her power before utilizing her ultimate attack again; the Shadow Wave. The familiar dark explosion rocked the whole central hall and engulfed Angel into blackness. For a rather unsuspecting moment, the Shadow Queen thought she had won this confrontation. She allowed herself to gloat during this time. When her strongest attack dissipated, the armored fox was intact: she had cast a shield around her just before the Shadow Wave connected. Needless to say, the demonic queen was in a rare stupor.

"Impossible...! You could not have survived that attack! How is this so?" she demanded, her voice filled with panic and anxiety.

Angel did not reply, but continued to channel her power within. Her body had started to flash a glaring white light in addition to her paws. There was a tiny indecipherable smile on her, the blue eyes staring into the Shadow Queen's being.

"No matter, I'll still decimate you. Die!"

The cataclysmic demon conjured two large shadowy hands. There seemed to be stars cascading vertically in them, which was somewhat unfitting to her merciless appearance. They advanced toward Angel and clapped her in. Again, the Shadow Queen thought things were going her way: she was proven dead wrong when the Guardiamon powered her way out. The hands of blight were destroyed, freeing her from the darkening grasp. She was illuminated entirely in a brilliant silvery-white aura. The increasing brightness of the light appeared to have a progressively adverse effect on the Shadow Queen. Her once-fearsome appearance was slowly disintegrating.

"No... I can't lose here...! Not when I have just been reincarnated!" she hissed, sounding weaker with each word. "What... are you?"

"An angel of death." answered the armored Digimon before unleashing a devastating beam of light.

* * *

He was dead. Again. Where was he now? The short, muscular man surveyed his surroundings; it was definitely somewhere **far** away from his current location. This unknown place was quiet and empty, though it was also ethereal at the same time. It seemed to be a realm of nothingness, where white light was the only source of illumination. Agon was standing on something, yet there was no visible floor or ground level; it was just a plain something to be on. He wondered whether he was actually floating in mid-air. The unusual area of tranquility appeared to stretch forever, as if in an infinite loop with no end. Was this the afterlife? Heaven? Purgatory or limbo? The young human wasn't sure.

He was wearing his usual black shirt, dark navy pants and gray boots. Agon walked around, questioning himself if this **was** the afterlife. The last thing he remembered all too vividly was getting his neck ripped off by Doopliss. He had been getting his ass kicked around a lot as of late...

"So much for that... Man, Hooktail and Gloomtail must be shunning me after that crushing loss." murmured Agon in a defeated voice.

The twenty-six year old sat down, his head bowed in shame. He then realized that Angel, who was likely about to meet her demise as well, was alone in the dark as he wore a melancholy expression.

"I failed her too. I'll never see any of them again... I'm denied my revenge and I'm a dead man, just great. Well, at least I can rest here all by myself..."

Agon got into a fetal position and shut himself from everything around him. It was probably better this way. He thought of everything that had escalated: it started off from being teleported to the fictional world of Mario, where he befriended two dragons presumed to be dead. He had also made friends with a Digimon called Angel, her type being a Renamon. These three were his companions; now they were either dead or otherwise dying. How did it all come to this? It seemed to have happened so fast, yet so realistically.

He had learned far too late that the Mario he thought had murdered the two Tail dragons was a shapeshifter. Doopliss was responsible for it all and Agon had fallen to him; it did nothing to ease his broken mind. Angel was definitely next after the Duplighost was done with Luigi. It was all his fault in the end; he dragged the both of them into a fruitless mission of vengeance. In a way, Agon had been selfish because he allowed himself to be obsessed with revenge. No wonder he lost big time.

There was only one good thing that came from this: the real Mario was innocent. But what had fate planned for the red plumber? Questions, questions, questions, that was all he had at this point, not that it mattered. He was dead now.

He had only his own bitter, conflicted thoughts and dead heart for company. It was like this for an indescribably long time before a deep feminine voice startled him out of his trance.

"It's okay Agon. I'm here for you."

He remained in his spot, but turned his head up slightly; that friendly voice was familiar...

"You gave it your best shot. The important thing is that you showed courageous effort. I'm so glad to talk to you again, friend."

"...Hooktail...?" uttered Agon in wonder as his voice was almost inaudible.

"Yes, it's your close friend Hooky. You're here with me now."

He brought his full attention to the sixty-foot red dragoness herself. There she was, palpably content and more beautiful than ever; it **was** her. Cool tears had leaked from his dark-brown eyes.

"Hooktail..." he repeated, standing up and carefully striding toward her.

"Come to me, Agon. You brave human." she said in a tranquilizing tone.

He was face-to-face with her now. A heartwarming smile was on her while those emerald eyes gazed upon him tenderly. The little human embraced Hooktail, his face becoming wet from the onslaught of tears that overtook him. He had missed her so much since the untimely death, but the crimson female dragon was here in this mysteriously peaceful 'room'. She hugged him back, practically wrapping herself around him in a protective and loving manner.

"I'm sorry about all this. I never meant for any of it to happen. You, your brother and possibly Angel; I couldn't avenge your deaths. I'm a filthy disgrace to our friendship as a result. I failed all of you." he said with hideous self-blame, sniffling from the weeping that had attacked him.

"Shhh... it's okay, calm down," replied Hooktail in a pacifying tone. "You've more than demonstrated that you are my friend. Just the fact that you found me in my castle and offered to be my companion was already enough. You then volunteered to seek out my long-lost brother Gloomtail and bring us together again, as brother and sister."

"What are you saying?" asked Agon weakly.

"No one but you would have performed these honorable deeds. You've done so much for me... I love you and you'll always be my best friend. Even in death, Gloomtail and I are still siblings that have been liberated from the Shadow Queen. That's all that matters and it is exactly why you are not at fault here."

The short man quivered in reflex of his fading tears. Was she forgiving him, even in his failure to get revenge? He brought himself closer to the dragoness, determined not to let go.

"I wish you hadn't died in the first place," he confessed while moping his damp eyes. "When I saw you sprawled out in a bloody mess, I lost it. I wasn't there for you and because of that, you fell. Everyday afterwards, I kept saying to myself, 'Please come back, they should have killed me instead.' and of course, I knew that was meaningless. I loved you so much, which was why my heart was split into two when they took you away..." His voice had suddenly broken down when he said, "I'm so sorry..."

Hooktail nuzzled him in comfort as she gently tightened her hold on Agon. She was greatly touched by what she was hearing: a sympathetic expression appeared on her face.

"My life has changed entirely because of you," he went on in a doleful tone. "If only there was a way to revive you and your brother... I doubt it though, since I'm dead as well. At least we could be together in this afterlife. I just want to be with you again, Hooktail."

Out of a total desire to lighten the man's emotional burden, she kissed him. He saw this and had felt overwhelmingly reassured. She was the kindest dragon he had ever met in his life. This feeling was mutual: he returned the affectionate action by kissing her on the snout. After that, they were content to hold each other for an undetermined amount of time. It felt like hours had run its course before Hooktail spoke, her voice soft and brimming with empathy.

"Agon... everything that you have said during this time... Thank you my friend."

"Yeah, no problem. You're the friendliest dragon I've ever met," affirmed Agon truthfully. "Granted, you were the first, but you understand what I mean. You know what? With you here, I could just lie down and sleep with you forever..."

"I would very much love that." said Hooktail gently, closing her eyes as she pressed her great scaly head against Agon.

She had gradually fallen into a slumber; the little human followed suit, leaning against her like a tremendous pillow.

* * *

Many more hours later, the two of them woke up. They had never let each other go for even a single second. Agon and Hooktail looked at each other with big smiles of endearment, utterly happy for this reunion. If they had wanted to, it was possible that staying here forever in this nameless place of serenity was a desirable option. She and the short man were both dead: what was the point in going back? However, something told Agon otherwise, which was about to be brought up by the red dragoness.

"Agon?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled, still keeping a hold on her.

"I know what you're thinking..." she began, but Agon interrupted her.

"I have to go back," he stated with an undisguised tone of disappointment. "I'd rather be here with you, but I understand." He could not suppress a heavy sigh.

She snuggled him, feeling equally depressed that they had to part so soon. Hooktail didn't want him to go either. Her next set of words would prove to be a bit more assuring.

"We'll be together again sooner than you think, I promise, my friend. It is not yet your time. Your guardian angel is coming for you."

The bald-headed man had a look of eventual acceptance in his face. His lips twitched into a sad smile.

"I sincerely hope so Hooktail. I yearn for your presence so badly." said Agon. In a slightly confused voice, he added, "'My time'? What does that mean? I'm not permanently dead?"

"No, in fact, your friend Angel is trying to resurrect you," said Hooktail with a benign expression. "Before she arrives, I must tell you something important."

"What is it?" inquired Agon, realizing that there wasn't much time left. The gigantic female dragon began to disappear; the entire area was slowly brightening before his eyes.

"When you are revived, check the center of the floor in my chamber at Hooktail Castle. Trust me on this, you'll find something there that will bring us all back."

The emotionally sobered man nodded solemnly: he had a basic idea of what she was talking about. Regardless, he would do whatever it took to see his lady in red again.

"Okay, Hooktail. I'll do that."

"Thank you Agon. Don't worry, we'll be reunited soon. My brother and I will see you then. Go to her now... Return to Angel..." concluded Hooktail before she faded away, her echoing voice trailing off.

"See you soon..." he said, his mood becoming more optimistic.

A few moments after the departure of Hooktail, the armored Digimon materialized behind the five-foot-three human. He turned around and saw his guardian angel; the wings, halo and her paladin appearance had convinced him that she really was one. Just the sight of her presence revitalized Agon's spirit even more. A loving smile was directed at him, which had warmed his recovering heart. No words were necessary as Angel held out a paw. He took it and the two of them had disappeared from this cryptic afterlife.

The remnants of the unknown place became nothing more than a blazing flash of light.

**(So basically, Guardiamon is Angel's made-up final form. She's supposed to be either a space marine or a paladin; maybe both actually. Magimon would be an adept sorceress while Archmagimon is the battle magician/sorceress. Yep, it was one of those moments when the ideas came to me as I progressed through the story.) **

**(Height-wise: Renamon - 6'7, Kyubimon - 8'1, Magimon - 9 feet, Archmagimon and Guardiamon - 10'2)**

******(At this point, I do not blame you if things got far too confusing plot-wise. It's near the end anyway, so don't take it too seriously. Have a good one.)**


	20. Resolution

**Resolution**

The Guardiamon was walking through the Petal Meadows, carrying the now-revived Agon in her arms. He no longer had black armor or his weapons, but was clad in his usual attire. A few hours had passed since the attack on the Palace of Shadow; the remaining Black Apparitions were completely eliminated on the way back, thanks to the reunited Mario and Luigi. Doopliss, the Duplighost, had been taken out as well as the recently revived Shadow Queen.

The demonic being's sudden reincarnation remained a mystifying conundrum. It was clear, however, that she had been the true killer behind Hooktail and Gloomtail's deaths. It made more sense that way, given that Doopliss wasn't totally evil. He was quite the prankster and often childish, but not completely sinful. It was assumed that the Shadow Queen had been alive long enough to learn the status of her pets. She took it as an act of betrayal when Hooktail and Gloomtail, surviving their battles against Mario, befriended the little human Agon. This was a feasible reason on why the dark ruler murdered them without conscience.

That said, Angel found a secluded spot in the open fields. She looked at the unconscious human; a sad, yet hopeful expression was evident in her hooded face. It had been a fatal shock to her when she realized the method in which he had been decimated. His entire body was disintegrated by the Shadow Queen's ultimate attack, Shadow Wave. Only his bald head remained in its decently intact state. However, this was enough for her to perform the revival spell.

"I know you'll live... You're merely just asleep right now." whispered the armored vixen, sitting down and gently cradling Agon.

She had been unaware of her new evolution; it was the first time it had been discovered and activated, via an emotional outrage. The temporary deaths of Agon and Luigi had caused Angel to transform into Guardiamon, her final form. Like the light-brown man, the green plumber lived as well, thanks to her resurrection power, and had been happily reunited with his real brother in red. They insisted to her that she tend to her friend while they headed to Toad Town: Luigi told everything he knew to Mario, thus, the two of them left to assist in the defense. With the Black Apparitions, Doopliss and the Shadow Queen eliminated, Bowser's forces would not pose much of a threat.

"Please... you're stronger than this..." said Angel dejectedly, pressing her face against Agon's own. "I'll stay here by your side, no matter what."

It wasn't until minutes later that the short man began to stir. He opened his eyes to witness a heavily armored fox holding him closely. No words were necessary to describe this scene; both of them opted to just gaze at each other lovingly. Agon threw his arms around Angel, beyond elated by this second revival and also upon the sight of his heavenly friend. She tightened her hold to the point of suffocation, but neither of them cared about that: just seeing each other again was already enough. Angel kissed him on the lips in overwhelming joy caused by his living presence. She was greatly relieved that the spell had been successful. The two of them said nothing at this point, but instead allowed their actions to do the talking.

Laying down on the lush grass with the late afternoon sun for company, they held each other greedily. It had been a serene half-hour or so before the ten foot vixen spoke.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said blissfully while beaming at him. "I don't think I could stand to lose you for good if the resurrection hadn't worked."

"You really mean that?" asked Agon with significant wonder in his voice.

"Of course. You and I are the closest friends ever. We've been together since the day we first met."

The twenty-six year old nodded happily, grinning at Angel.

"All the way back at Gloomtail's sanctum..." he murmured with a sort of nostalgic reminiscence.

"Ever since that time, I've never regretted following you around as a companion. It's safe to say that you mean the world to me. Until the end of time, I will never leave you alone in the dark. I will love and protect you for eternity. That's why I am still your friend and guardian angel of light."

"Thank you Angel, that was very touching. You are definitely my best friend." replied Agon sincerely. Then, to further reinforce this statement and his gratefulness, he added, "I love you."

Angel's blue eyes sparkled with intense fondness. She nuzzled his nose, making him blush in the process.

"I love you too Agon. You're such a strong and affectionate friend."

A lengthy, comfortable silence was between them as they rested in their spot at Petal Meadows. Thankfully, there were no bothersome Goombas of any type or Koopa Troopas to interrupt this time of tranquility. Several more minutes passed by before Agon brought up a question.

"What happened back at the Palace of Shadow? All I can recall is that Doopliss grabbed me by the neck and ripped it off like I was a plastic doll. Before that, he caused incredible harm to you. I thought you might have actually died..."

His initial curiosity was overwritten by fear and gloom. In his perspective, he had seen Angel take a deathly blow from Doopliss. The Guardiamon saw him turn away slightly and clasped his head with excessive gentleness, using one paw. He was forced into eye contact.

"It's okay, I'm still here," said Angel reassuringly, giving the small man a warm smile. "I won't lie when I say this now: it hurt a lot absorbing that attack from the fake Mario. As for everything that transpired... well, there's a lot to explain. You should sit up for this."

"We got nothing but time anyway," said Agon as he got off of her and situated himself a few feet away, cross-legged. "I'm eager to know, so don't hold back on the information."

"Right, I'll tell you what happened."

The ten foot fox proceeded to inform Agon about the events. Reiterated, it was along these lines:

Doopliss, who had been disguised as the red-capped Mario, was really the Shadow Queen all along. She possessed him when he had been lured to her chamber. He opened the tomb, which released the fragment of her soul: this was the moment that the dark being took control of Doopliss and commanded the Duplighost to steal Mario's body and identity. The red plumber's body had then been brought over to her chamber and sealed inside the tomb, serving as a binding object for her soul. From this, Doopliss was no longer needed to maintain her life force. The Shadow Queen was able to create a physical manifestation of herself using the body of the real Mario as a container for her soul.

After her unexpected reincarnation, she had easily wiped out both Agon (his headless body) and Luigi. Their deaths caused Angel to undergo a sudden evolution as Guardiamon and annihilate the Shadow Queen, breaking the enchantments that imprisoned Mario. The Mario Brothers had been reunited as a result. After the defeat of the demonic entity, they returned to Toad Town while Angel remained behind to revive Agon. His head had rolled away somewhere safely from the Shadow Queen's relentless attacks. New to him, some hours in time had gone on since the final battle.

After the fox Digimon finished the story, Agon's facial expression was that of pure stupefaction.

"The Shadow Queen? I guess she somehow survived the battle against Mario and his companions..." uttered Agon, sounding bewildered by what he had just heard. "I can't wrap my mind around that at all. I should have suspected something when Doopliss nearly killed you. So... she was the one granting him all that power. There was no way he alone was that strong." Suddenly taking on an angry undertone, he said, "And because of that, their combined attack almost ended you. Hell, I thought you **were** gone..."

It was difficult for him to hide his concern; again, through his point of view, he thought Angel had actually died back at the palace. He wore a shameful look on his tough face.

'_I'm really bad at this,_' thought Agon, forgetting about Angel's telepathy. '_I couldn't even win against Doopliss, let alone land more than a few punches at most. I died twice and had to be brought back. I feel so inferior. Well, at least Luigi is rightfully back with his brother._'

The ten foot Digimon heard his thoughts and responded in a comforting manner.

'_No, don't talk like that,_' said Angel mentally as the familiar echo resonated in his mind. '_You were facing against a much stronger opponent. He had been imbued by the Shadow Queen and was far more powerful from that. You and Luigi fought valiantly, even in the blackest hour, and that's what mattered the most. You're __**not**__ weak._'

'_You don't understand, I feel like I've been more of a burden than an actual fighting force. I have been nothing but overly emotional at this point, but I blame myself for letting you take the hit. You could have actually died. If anything, maybe I should have been the one to -_'

'_Don't even start,_' Angel's tone became slightly agitated. '_You've put yourself in enough danger as it is and you've already gone through so much, especially with the deaths of Hooktail and Gloomtail. For a normal human being, I think these are worthy accomplishments in their own right._'

'_Doesn't change the fact that you could have died and I would have no one to turn to,_' shot back Agon, a grim voice replacing his distress. '_Had that happened instead, it would have been the first time I've ever experienced true loneliness. Not only that, but the Shadow Queen would have lived and gained enough strength to make her return. One could only imagine what might have occurred if that omnipotent entity had succeeded..._' He paused for a second before saying in a genuinely concerned manner, '_I was deeply worried for you. You say you couldn't bear losing me? What about __**you**__? I don't even want to think about that..._'

There was a concise moment of disquiet between the two. Then, the short man added in an apologetic way, '_I'm sorry, I just wanted to get all that out of my system. It hasn't been easy dealing with the events up to now. If you want, I'll leave you alone for a bit... got a bit of emotional stress balled up within, you know?_'

Agon stood up and began to walk away. Predictably, he was halted by Angel: her extra-large white-tipped tail closed around him as she embraced him from behind. A kind and compassionate expression made its way onto her face.

'_It's okay, you don't have to leave. I don't __**want**__ you to leave,_' she said, now returning to her usual gentleness. '_I understand the situation and I'm happy that you care for me dearly, but please don't put your life above mine. We had this discussion in the past, if you remember a long time back. We're both alive, let's just keep it that way. At least we won in the end and avenged our dragon friends resting in peace. That was the main objective._'

'_Yeah, believe me, I know. Now that it's all over, I would like to imagine Hooktail and Gloomtail being content, knowing that their master has been put down for good this time. This revenge mission has been completed because of you. Well done._' Agon said in a congratulatory voice, revelling in these excellent news.

'_I wasn't alone,_' Angel pointed out with a smirk. '_You and Luigi were great fighters as well. Sure, I dealt the finishing blow, but it was thanks to the both of you that I unlocked my final evolution. I had no idea I was capable of such power._'

She lifted him off his feet and held him by the midsection. A friendly smile was on her lips. Agon hugged the angelic Digimon back, more than jubilant of the outcome and the changed subject. After a minute of celebratory embracing, Angel released and set him down on the grass.

"I'm also glad Luigi survived. That was because of you too, right?" he said out loud.

"Yes, I revived both of you. The green-capped man told me everything he saw and heard since he had been the last one standing. That should answer one of your questions." replied Angel, anticipating his curiosity on how she knew all this; it was because she had been unconscious before Doopliss' true identity was revealed.

"And the real Mario, he's all right after what happened to him?" asked Agon, looking into her blue eyes.

"He made it out well. The Shadow Queen had him trapped in her chamber, but her defeat broke the enchantments that kept him imprisoned. He and Luigi are together again."

A small smile of relief had snuck onto his face. Good things were finally coming out in the end.

"So it's safe to assume that Doopliss and the Shadow Queen are gone for good? And those damned black robed mercenaries?"

"Oh yes," said Angel happily in confirmation. "We won't have to worry about them anymore."

"Very nice, but what about the attack on Toad Town? What of Bowser?" inquired Agon, pondering on the status of the campaign. With the Black Apparitions, the Duplighost and the dark being defeated, it was unlikely that the Koopa King alone would succeed.

This fact was further emphasized when the Guardiamon flashed a confident grin.

"Something tells me that with Mario back in the game, they'll be able to take care of things without our assistance. I think right now, I'd like to stay here and cuddle with you."

Agon grunted in agreement as he said, "You're most likely correct on that statement. And if we're done talking, I'd be glad to take up on your offer. Though there's something else I wanted to bring up, I figured that it could wait a bit. I'm content to just lie down for now."

"Sure thing, my friend. Don't you try to get away from me now." Angel warned him with a humorous tone, advancing on the little man.

'_Not gonna complain one bit..._' thought Agon rapturously.

The red armored vixen heard this and eagerly wrapped her thick, lengthy tail around him like a coiling snake. She picked him up in his arms and got into a comfortable position. Less than a minute later, the two of them succumbed to a deep, snuggly slumber. The warm sun continued to radiate carelessly while the relaxing winds flowed through the flowery plains of Petal Meadows.

* * *

Inside of their house west of Toad Town and Princess Peach's Castle, Mario and Luigi were seated on a leather couch. Half of it was red and the other half was green. Their living room was small, but furnished: there was a coffee table in front of them, a tall lamp to their left, a 34 inch LCD TV some feet away and a ceiling fan above them. A sparsely-filled wooden shelf was beside the television. It contained various DVDs, books and video games. The floor was hardwood, though there was a large square rug that covered the center of the living room.

A little while back, they had come home after aiding in the defense of Toad Town. The remnants of the battle was easy due to the success of King Boo's ambush attack, which resulted in many of the airships, Bowser's included, making a crash landing on the ground from hundreds of feet above. The survivors of the Koopa Clan were either slain or otherwise driven back by the Mario Brothers, Princess Peach herself and her army. She and the ghostly king suffered a few casualties in their troop numbers, but it wasn't anything to get worked up on.

Thankfully, Princess Peach's Castle and Toad Town itself wasn't damaged by any of the falling airships. Bowser managed to escape with the help of his son, Bowser Junior; the little Koopa flew around and picked up his father using the Koopa Clown Car. The wizardly advisor Kamek also got away by flying on a broomstick he carried with him in case of situations like this.

As for Petey Piranha, he was unharmed because he flapped his leafy arms to simulate aviation. He stayed in the air, moving about until meeting up with his old friend King Boo. The two of them had a reunion, which resulted in the lumbering plant creature seeking forgiveness. Petey explained (through incomprehensible noises) that he was forced to join up with Bowser after the alliance had been broken. It was either that or facing the brutalizing wrath of the terrible Koopa King: Petey Piranha was a fearsome creature, but interestingly enough, he didn't go out of his way to pick a fight. They talked for a bit and made amends; King Boo and Petey Piranha returned to their status as friends shortly after.

The double attack from 'Mario' and Bowser had been foiled, thanks to the efforts of the two sovereigns, the real Mario, Luigi, Agon and Angel.

Luigi placed a hand on Mario's shoulder, giving him a grin. He was exuberant that the red-capped plumber made it out of the Shadow Queen's chamber alive. However, he was curious on how it had happened in the first place.

"Bro, tell me everything that happened to you." said Luigi with a look of intent.

"That Doopliss got the jump on me," began Mario, sitting back with his legs crossed. "While I was on my way over to see Peach, he appeared out of nowhere and stole my name and body. Didn't expect it at all and then while I was unconscious, he dragged me to the Palace of Shadow within that chamber and threw me in there. I heard this dark voice that was unmistakably the Shadow Queen herself. I can't understand how she managed to come back after we defeated her."

The green brother recognized 'we' to mean Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, the Yoshi Kid, Vivian the Shadow Siren and Admiral Bobbery.

"The Shadow Queen mentioned something about using you as a container for her soul. Apparently, she possessed Doopliss and ordered him to capture you and bring your body to her tomb. That way, she would be able to manifest herself without having to control someone else." exclaimed Luigi.

"Sounds about right. I figured that goofy blanketed thief didn't have the motive alone. While it makes sense that she targeted me because I vanquished her, it doesn't quite justify her sudden return. That said, it may be best if that remained a mystery. Some things are not meant to be known."

"I'm just happy that you're back here with me, Mario. All this time, I thought you really had converted to evil, Bowser Koopa and all. I was a duped fool." said Luigi, scolding himself for having made an assumption without looking into it more.

Mario threw an arm around Luigi, chuckling heartily. He gave his younger sibling a light noogie on the head, who had let out a little yelp in response. The red-capped man donned an earnest facial expression shortly after this brotherly action.

"No sweat Luigi, no one knew for the longest time. I guess since the last encounter, Doopliss improved his ability significantly. You know I would never side with Bowser. I've always been the good guy here. You and I are the Super Mario Brothers after all and that name has a reputable fame behind it."

"Yeah, that's true. Wait, you're including me as well?" questioned Luigi in surprise.

While it was true that the lean, green machine had gotten much more respect and credibility over the recent years, there were still times when Luigi was pushed away in favor of the more famous Mario in the red cap. Mario nodded eagerly to his taller brother's question.

"Of course. We are a great team able to overcome all odds, no matter the situation," Mario proclaimed. "Even when separated, it's still no problem for us. You're definitely a Super Mario Brother on your own. This is why Bowser will never take over the Mushroom Kingdom, because it's us that will put a stop to his evil schemes every time."

"Bro..." Luigi started, before stopping for a few seconds. His pride and self-confidence raised up from Mario's rallying words. It was an awesome feeling that the green plumber was experiencing. "You're the best."

The two brothers exchanged a brofist; the strong relationship between them was unlike most sibling combinations.

"It's all good Luigi. Nothing to it." said Mario, softly punching Luigi's shoulder.

"Thanks..."

An intentional silence fell between them for a few seconds. Luigi nodded to himself in high spirits as Mario wore a thoughtful expression, scratching his mustache.

"Hey Luigi, those two people that helped you out, are they gonna be all right on their own?" Mario asked with wonder.

"They should be fine," answered Luigi, turning his head to face his brother. "That Angel is a very strong individual, I can guarantee that. She revived Agon and I after the fight against the Shadow Queen."

"Right, right... you told me that on the way here. You also mentioned that Hooktail and Gloomtail turned good. I wonder how that could be possible. I thought that they were pets of the Shadow Queen? You know I fought them in the past during the events of The Thousand-Year Door."

The green mustachioed plumber was met with an incredulous look and a raised eyebrow, courtesy of Mario. Luigi gripped his chin casually, ready to answer.

"I'm aware. Sit back for a bit, because this may take a bit to explain. I hope you'll understand what I'm about to say to you." said Luigi as he put his hands up in a calming manner.

"Lay it on me. A lot seems to have happened while I was gone," Mario replied while shrugging his shoulders. "You're on good terms with King Boo, he's allied with Princess Peach and the Shadow Queen, now defeated once more, somehow lived in the aftermath. Life can really throw you off just like that. Go on ahead."

"All right then..."

Luigi informed Mario about the theory behind the Tail dragons, relaying information told by Agon. When he had finished, his red and blue brother crossed his arms and pursed his lips together. Judging by the facial expression, Mario was in the process of considering what he was just told.

"Wow, that sounds pretty good," he commented in slight amazement. "It makes sense because they were created by the Shadow Queen. Seems reasonable that with her having fallen the first time, Hooktail and Gloomtail became free from her corruptible influence."

"He certainly said this in an intriguing way," remarked Luigi seriously. "In fact, Agon and Angel were friends with them."

"Really? Hmm... maybe they might not be so bad now... We're talking about the same thing, right? The Tail dragons I encountered at the time, the ones that I dealt with?"

"It has to be. He was really bent on getting revenge for their deaths, caused by you, who was Doopliss, who was possessed entirely by the Shadow Queen. Agon must have liked Hooktail that much. It couldn't have been easy for him when he discovered her death. That short man can be hot-headed when it comes to friends, but I can't blame him all the same."

Mario gave a little grunt as he said, "He and that red female dragon as companions, huh? While I wouldn't go as far as being friends with those dragons, I don't think I'd go out of my way to actually hunt them down in cold blood. I didn't even think they had survived the first time. Regardless, I hope the guy is holding up well."

Luigi rubbed his nose as his eyes stared at his brother; a knowing look was in them.

"If there's one thing I could say now, it's that Agon realizes you didn't do it. I can't imagine you with a black heart."

"You're right about that for sure. I feel kinda bad about what happened with those dragons," responded Mario, pulling his cap down a bit. "Too bad they're dead now... Otherwise, I would have considered giving them a chance after all. **If** Hooktail and Gloomtail really became good, I think it may have been a nice thing to look forward to. The idea seems quite novel."

"Friendship with dragons? It sounds interesting for sure, but obviously, that's not possible now. I would assume that before they were killed, Agon, Angel and those two dragons must have been close friends. Well, what's done is done." said Luigi while he stood up to stretch out his body.

"Yeah, I guess so... Still, I'm just thrilled that I'm back with you, brother. Good to see you again."

The green-capped man flashed a small smile toward Mario.

"The feeling is mutual." stated Luigi happily. He rolled his shoulders as he said, "Hey, wanna tag along with me? I'm going out to hang with King Boo at the Mansion in the Boo Woods."

"Sure, I'm down with that. Who would have thought that you and that spooky ghost king were friends?" said Mario with a laugh, standing up from the couch.

"I was taken back as well. Come on, let's get moving."

After some quick preparations, the reunited Super Mario Brothers left the living room and their house.

**(Really close to the end now, just one more chapter to go. I did my best to cover the remaining holes in the plot. Hopefully, there's enough closure here. I know I made my characters very gushy and emotional, I'm fully aware of it.)**


	21. Final Act

**Final Act**

"Nightfall already...? Yeesh, must have really dozed off." muttered Agon quietly, observing the darkening sky.

He was awake in the safety and comfort of Angel. Her arms were loosely wrapped around him while the white-tipped tail kept him warm from the cooler air. The Petal Meadows, while constantly recognized for its mild climate, was surprisingly frigid this particular night. Agon remained where he was without making any movements; he wanted to stay huddled with her. In other times, the small man would have gotten away to take a solitary walk or something of that nature, but now, all he desired was the company of his friend. It seemed unnecessary, perhaps even unethical to get up right now because it would mean depriving himself of the cozy spot. His present location was, in other words, too good to give up.

"Her tail is so fluffy..." Agon commented with a slight slur; his drowsiness and euphoria bordered to the point of overtaking his system. "I could lose myself just nuzzling it."

He considered the idea for a few seconds before making his decision.

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Why not?"

And indeed, this was exactly what the dark-brown eyed man ended up doing. He caressed, petted and hugged the downy appendage before falling into a light slumber from its fleecy softness. Unknown to him, this act of affection caused the sleeping Angel to have a smile on her face.

When Agon opened his eyes an hour later, he found himself feeling cold. The protective arms, tail and figure that were closed around him were absent. He got up carefully and searched around: where was Angel?

"Aw man, she left me..." he said in a depressing tone.

He sighed before strolling the peaceful fields of Petal Meadows. The pale silver moon glowed from above, luminous amongst the deep blue and black. As the twenty-six year old walked on, he brought his arms together. While the air wasn't winter-like, there were a few gusts of icy winds blowing at him. He wished that Angel was here with him now to provide her warmth and love. Agon continued to saunter aimlessly for as much as thirty seconds before he halted.

"..."

He guessed that someone else was here, but who? The short man slowly darted his eyes, checking the surroundings; the increased darkness made it difficult to discern anything. Agon was so occupied in looking for his possible perpetrator(s) that he failed to hear footsteps coming from behind him. It wouldn't have mattered much, because whoever this was, the sounds were next to silent. Just as Agon was staring at a nearby tree to his left, he got tackled to the ground. Well, not exactly. It turned out that he fell over face-first due to the unidentified mass on his back.

"Whoa!" he uttered, momentarily stunned by this 'ambush'. "I'm being attacked!"

There was a laughter that belonged to someone real familiar; gentle, yet playful with a touch of mischievousness. He mentally slapped himself, just realizing now that Angel had gotten the jump on him. How did she keep doing that so soundlessly and effortlessly?

"Looking for me? If I really wanted to attack you, you wouldn't be living right now." she said while helping him up.

"You're right about that." replied Agon in a lighthearted tone, though he grimaced inwardly at the way she said it. It needed to be kept in mind that he was recently resurrected from the dead.

Angel immediately detected his wariness and held his hands, seeking to assure him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you with that statement. You know me better than that."

"Oh, I am aware, but I still can't help it sometimes," said Agon with a small edge to his tone. "You **could** easily take me out just like that. Nothing is actually preventing you in doing so."

"But I wouldn't, nor would I want to. You're my friend." countered Angel, her blue eyes benevolently gazing upon his own.

Agon made a grunt of confirmation. That was perfectly true, as it had been said many times before.

"It's all good. Why did you leave me alone?"

"I just wanted to devolve into my rookie form. Don't worry, because I would have teleported to your location afterwards. Out for a stroll?"

The 5'3 human stared closely at her; Angel was back to her Renamon evolution, the purple hood, scarf and gloves known to his eyes. She did not possess her semi-invisible blade this time, but the rose symbol was embroidered on her right thigh.

"I suppose you could say that," he said nonchalantly. "I didn't expect it to be this chilly tonight..."

Agon couldn't help himself as he shivered from a blast of arctic air that cut through him. Realizing his predicament, the slender vixen quickly embraced him while placing her head on top of his.

"I'm here for you again." she exclaimed fondly. Angel quickly read his mind and affirmed in an affectionate tone, "You love being cuddled by me and you also enjoy being snuggled by my silky tail."

"I do, I really do. I'm not going to hide that."

His entire body became much warmer when Angel coiled her fluffy tail around him. He smiled, elated by her constant physical intimacy; in a platonic matter, of course.

"Awww... that's really nice of you," the golden fox cooed, her celestial eyes glimmering serenely. She brought him even closer to her lean, furry figure. "You're cute yourself."

"Not compared to you. If anything, you're the adorable one," responded Agon, tremendously adoring in her comfort. "and I love hugging you. It's like interacting with an animated life-sized plushy. A rather tall and cozy one at that, I might add. This friendship of ours is so friggin' epic."

"I'm being serious here, you are quite charming. I can assure you that with me around, there will be no shortage of affection."

"Well thank you Angel. Don't think I've ever been referred to as 'cute' before. Sorry for saying this yet again, but I love you."

The 6'7 Renamon giggled as she tightened her grip on him. Before doing so, she fastened her scarf around Agon's neck, now connecting the two of them. He blushed from the closeness while appreciating it all the same. It was a sweet gesture on her part.

"You can say it as many times as you want. I'll love you back." said Angel with staggering tenderness. A warm smile appeared on her, directed at her human companion.

And with that, they concluded the conversation. For a long time, Agon and Angel continued their snuggling without a care in the world. The same thought was in their minds: they were glad to have such a powerful friendship for each other. Eventually, they simultaneously released holds and made eye contact. This seemed to be the right moment to discuss something Agon had wanted to bring out a while back. He hoped that she wouldn't tease, mock or jeer at him.

"Angel?" he said, his heart beating quite fast.

"Yeah?"

"Can I speak with you about something?"

She openly nodded at him, willing to listen to whatever he was going to say.

"Okay, uh... hmm..." Agon stammered as he tried to figure out a way to address the topic. "I should just be direct. I saw Hooktail in the afterlife. I mean, I'm not totally certain whether that was the place or if it was a vivid dream of mine. I would have to assume that this anomalous event occurred while I was dead. The point is that she told me an important bit. I want to tell you, but you'll laugh at the idea. Should I say it anyway?"

Angel beamed at him encouragingly. She gestured with her purple gloved paws, urging Agon to keep going.

"All right then... Hooktail said to examine the center of the floor in her chamber at Hooktail Castle. There's something within that could allow us to see her and Gloomtail again. Any chance you may be able to teleport us there? I'd like to find out, but if you don't want to, I understand."

The short man's face was humble and shy. He twiddled his thumbs, afraid that the idea came out as ludicrous without a doubt. However, Angel's answer contradicted his trepidation, much to the huge relief of Agon.

"Of course I'll take us there. I knew what you were thinking, that I was going to dismiss the suggestion or make fun of you for having a folly imagination." With a solicitous expression in her hooded visage, she stated, "It's okay Agon, I miss them as much as you do."

"...Thank you Angel."

"You're welcome. Well, I'm ready if you are."

With a curt nod of acknowledgement, she clasped his hands. The dazzling white light enveloped the two and penetrated the surrounding blackness before it disappeared, taking the duo with them.

* * *

Agon and Angel arrived at the very top chamber in Hooktail Castle. After the golden vixen untied her scarf that had connected them the whole time, the small man began his search, sprinting toward the middle of this gigantic room.

"What could possibly be here...?" mumbled Agon to himself as he got on his knees and felt the floor's surface. He was expecting a secret door of some sort.

"Wow! This is a grand place for Hooktail," Angel commented, surveying the cavernous interior. "Definitely large enough for a massive dragon to rest in."

"And also big enough to hide something esoteric here..." added Agon while continuing to brush the stony floor. "It's either invisible to the naked eye or underneath a trapdoor."

It didn't take long before one of his hands suddenly sank in the exact center. With a confused look in his face, he pulled it back without feeling anything: was it his imagination or was this part of the floor fake? He thrust both hands into this pit and touched upon something wooden. Once he had a grasp on its handles, Agon lifted the object upwards. It turned out to be a small treasure chest that seemed to have been concealed for an undetermined amount of time.

"Awfully reduced on the size," said Agon in a low voice as he scrutinized the modest container. "Only one way to find out what's inside..."

He opened the chest and saw a small trinket; it was a golden ankh. Angel mentioned something about an ankh...

"Hey Angel! You gotta check this out!" he hollered, getting her attention.

The fox Digimon dashed to his location at once.

"What is it?" she said curiously.

"Look."

Agon showed her the object within the chest. Angel had an understanding look behind the icy cobalt eyes, purple hood and scarf.

"Yes, this was how I revived you the first time. This may work..." she murmured quietly.

"Ooooh... I sincerely hope so," said Agon in a dream-like haze. "but the way Hooktail said it was almost inexplicable. I say we do this thing."

"Agreed, friend. Besides, my resurrection ability takes a long time to recharge before I'm able to use it again. Let's pray that the ankh will be able to restore both of them."

"Yeah... Are you ready?"

Angel nodded before gripping his shoulders. After the usual teleportation process, the two of them were off.

* * *

Just outside of the castle, the duo was at the spot where Hooktail and Gloomtail had died. Their enormous bodies were still there, slowly rotting and decaying. Agon stepped forward with the gold ankh in his right hand while his left was clenched by Angel. They savored this dramatically suspenseful moment before he held up the ankh. In a steady pace of time, a beam of pure yellow descended from the black sky, covering the two deceased Tail dragons. All of the wounds inflicted upon them were healing before Agon and Angel's eyes. This had gone on for a bit before the light dissipated; Hooktail and Gloomtail's bodies looked as good as new.

"..."

Neither the light-brown man nor the golden fox uttered a word. They held their breaths, waiting for something else to happen. It was extremely quiet apart from the gusting winds. Many seconds later, both dragons stirred and woke up. Agon let out a gasp of excitement; Angel grabbed his shoulders, staring at the sight before her with widened blue eyes.

'_It worked! It really worked! They're alive again! Awesome..._' thought Agon, stimulated by the succession of the small artifact, which had crumbled to dust afterwards.

'_We're all together once again. Such a glorious moment._' answered Angel telepathically. Her normally gentle voice was enthusiastic.

'_I really want to jump in and embrace them, but for now, why don't we give them some time alone?_'

With a squeeze from her paw, the two of them vacated the area. They headed back to the Petal Meadows as Hooktail and Gloomtail looked at each other. Smiles of love and endearment were painted on their faces, their eyes half-closed in content. Without speaking a single word, they nuzzled each other. The two of them were brother and sister once again.

* * *

The next morning, Agon rose up from his position. He and the fox Digimon found an empty area with short flowered grass; no trees were around them. He yawned and stretched out his body as the previous cold night was forgotten. Angel stood right behind him, holding his shoulders with a little smile. Her purple hood, scarf and sleeves were removed, looking more natural without them. She gave him a tiny nudge forward.

"Go ahead Agon, have your reunion with Hooktail. I'll be here meditating." said Angel with a tone of approval. She knew how badly he wanted to see the two dragons.

The bald-headed man simply nodded to her before anxiously walking off, his direction aimed for Hooktail Castle. He didn't have to go far before the two Tail dragons flew above him; they landed a few feet from where he was. Hooktail approached Agon, an affectionate look on her. Her emerald eyes stared at him lovingly as his dark-brown ones eagerly returned the gaze. The two of them kept looking at each other hungrily for several long moments before Agon finally ran over to the crimson dragoness and hugged her snout.

"Hooktail... I've missed you." he said faintly, but it was clear that he was overcome by incalculable happiness.

"I'm right here Agon. It's great to be with you again," said Hooktail in an ecstatic voice, nuzzling the little man. "I saw you in my dream."

"Me too. You were right, I found it in your chamber."

"I told you we would be together again. I'm glad you believed me."

Agon beamed at Hooktail as he stroked her snout. The red female dragon closed her eyes in total content, feeling pleased by his gentle touch. Gloomtail, who was just behind his younger sister, nodded in high respect for the small human. His dark red eyes had an air of kindness when they glanced at Agon. There was no doubt that he was also grateful for the resurrection and his devotion. In the black dragon's mind, he knew that Agon was an exceptional friend to both he and Hooktail: no other being would have gone to such astounding lengths just to be friends with them. Gloomtail admired his unfaltering determination.

"Agon... you are a champion to us and our relations," stated Gloomtail, holding the dark eyed man in great esteem. "I grant you all of my blessings. May you and my beloved sister prosper indefinitely."

"Am I worthy of such an honor?" questioned Agon as he felt quite modest. Was the brother of Hooktail trusting the young man with his precious baby sister?

"Yes, you most certainly are. I won't take no for an answer, especially given that you have accomplished the biggest goal ever: you revived and brought us together as brother and sister once more. Considering that you have done so much to prove yourself, you've earned it. Please, I want you and Hooktail to be the best of friends."

Agon let go of the red dragoness for a brief moment. He placed a hand to his heart, overwhelmed by Gloomtail's meaningful words. It had felt like such a great honor was bestowed upon him. He grinned at the black dragon and walked over to him, bowing down in the process. The red eyes maintained their amiable look.

"Don't worry, your lovely sister is in good hands now," said Agon assuredly. "You are a very pleasant and generous brother to her. And just to let you know, the Shadow Queen somehow made an unexpected comeback, but she has been terminated for good this time. No worries now."

"Excellent! I had thought that this whole time, it was our enemy in the red cap. You will always be welcome with us anytime. Now go to my sibling and enjoy life. You don't need to be so formal with me by the way. I'm with it."

In an easygoing manner, Gloomtail waved him off with a three-toed foot; Agon trooped over to the patient Hooktail and resumed the affectionate session. As they embraced each other, the brotherly dragon let out a small hearty chuckle. At last, the two Tail siblings had a dependable and loyal friend. He decided to leave them alone as he took flight toward the open blue skies.

"Agon... I love you," said Hooktail as she laid down stomach-first and leaned her giant head against the little human. "Everything you have done for my brother and I, we won't forget it. Thank you my friend."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." replied Agon earnestly. In a warmhearted tone, he said, "I love you too. You're the sweetest dragon I've ever had the pleasure of being with. I'm so excited to see you again."

"Those are touching words from a caring human. You'll always have a place in my heart. Both you and Angel."

The bald-headed male became teary-eyed: he was overcome by joy and Hooktail's tender nature, as well as the fact that she was alive again. He nestled himself as close to her as possible. The red female dragon closed her foot around him in response, not planning to let him go anytime soon. She gave him an adoring smile that seemed to be far more endearing than Agon had ever seen from her. He could have swore that his heart slowed down considerably; his entire body became downright mellow from Hooktail's caring aura.

"I truly appreciate it. I'm honored to be your close friend and I'm positive that Angel feels the same way." exclaimed Agon, his voice sounding very tranquilized and heartfelt.

"Me too, my little human," she said with exceeding jubilation. "Here, this is for you."

Hooktail kissed Agon; it was a really long smooch that was reserved for him and him alone. The well-built man was practically in cloud nine at this point. He couldn't get any happier than this and it was justified: this was the same Hooktail from the video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Finally, all of his emotional torment and grief had left him, now drowned in the forgotten past. He kissed her back and rested on the side of her scaly head. The Tail dragons lived again to enjoy the freedom and companionship given to them. They no longer had to worry about their former master, the Shadow Queen. That was all that mattered.

This was his ultimate paradise: to be with his lady in red. Fantasies were one of the best things anyone could ever experience.

**(This is the end of the story. Keep in mind that it was still my first time typing up something that wasn't a one shot or a two-fer. Those of you that were following this little thing of mine, thank you very much. I really appreciate this and it was a wild trip in the process of making this fanfic. I hoped that this was an enjoyable read, especially given that I somehow made twenty-one chapters in total.**** I told you I would consider bringing back Hooktail; I just couldn't kill her off like that. Also, apologies for the overall excessive... 'mushiness' for a lack of a better term. I'm fully aware that it would have gotten on your nerves real fast. The love is purely platonic, but very strong. :) This story is under friendship after all.**)

**Just between you and I, being cuddled by a Renamon or an affectionate dragoness would be a personal fantasy of mine. ;) Time for me to shut up now. You all have yourselves a fine day and or night.)**


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